Cebu City politics

Dear Editor,

As a resident of the second most significant city in the country, I should feel proud and happy to be living here. A high standard of living, a city that gives all the modern comforts and a government vigilant in serving the people.

Well, actually scratch the last part. Ever since Tomas Osmeña left Cebu City’s governance to the, I should say, able hands of Mike Rama, it’s been like a Tom and Jerry episode one after the other. 

The papers always have a field day when Tomas engages in his most favorite sport: Mike Rama bashing. Good that it stops at that, but the former mayor doesn’t and stretches out, actually, goes out of his way to the detriment of his district and his once-beloved city, to make sure Rama is sitting in government hell.

Take for instance the thing with City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva. Here you have an agressive City Treasurer who is an expert at her job, excels at finance management and who is undoubtedly the most coveted in her field among the local governments.

Considering the flukes we have as government heads these days, Oliva is a breath of fresh air, a light in the dark, a savior. Knowing all this, Osmeña wasted no time destroying her, in effect, diminishing Rama’s hopes of funds to make things happen for the city next year.

By my layperson’s understanding, when the targeted 10 billion budget for next year cannot be achieved, Rama will have to sacrifice a lot of services, cancel projects and suffer the failure of a bright plan for the city. 

But who will be the loser in the end?

It is not Mike Rama. He is just a politician and he can roll with the punches. The real victims (Tomas does not realize this or if he does, he just doesn’t care) are me, my daughter who is in kindergarten, my family and friends, and my neighbors.

There’s also that fish-monger at the corner of the street, that jeepney driver trying to make ends meet, that single mother with a toddler who has tuberculosis, that teacher with three children in college, that senior citizen needing her daily medical maintenance and all the other Marias and Juans registered under the City of Cebu. 

If Tomas continues to act like a little boy who just lost his lollipop, his never-ending tantrum will turn my beloved city - the Queen of the South - into a city with a government bringing itself down.

If that happens, God-forbid, Tomas will deserve all the praise in achieving it single handedly. But I will have a chance to stop him come 2013 elections. Just think how many more innocent lives will he destroy with this never-ending tantrum?

I refuse to be among the millions of sacrificial lambs offered to satiate the ego of a monster. My mother did not raise me to sit back and watch when the things I hold dear are being destroyed.

I am a Cebuano and I was born ready to fight against people like Tomas Osmeña. And if you are a true Cebuano, you should too.

 Sincerely,

Maria Clara E. Ricamora

Duterte St., Banawa, Guadalupe, Cebu City