The "crucifiction" of Mayor Mike Rama

Long before Lent, Mayor Michael Rama has already been subjected to outrageous charges, criminal, administrative, and otherwise. He was stripped of his position, barred from entering his office, his photos removed from the gallery, and his assigned official vehicles confiscated.

Rama has been betrayed by many people whom he loved and served for so long. He was abandoned by many former underlings and subalterns whom he helped and uplifted. Malicious gossip was concocted against him. The same people who hailed him with "alleluias" and "hosannas" when he was in power, are now audaciously shouting "crucify him".

At the most crucial time approaching the campaign period, Rama was sought to be "paralyzed" by depriving him of all means to reach out to people. His former staff were barred from seeing him. He couldn’t even get his personal belongings from his lockers. He is being treated like a leper or a pariah and people looked down on him like he committed murder.

We should never forget he was elected by a huge majority over his opponents. He isn’t an intruder or interloper. He has a huge mandate from the people. All these notwithstanding, only one official has ousted him from his post. He was fired for what many believe are flimsy grounds. Not for plunder, corruption, or graft, but the lack of foresight and care by his subordinates.

I feel that this is the first time in history that a city mayor was suspended because certain documents weren’t acted upon by his underlings, leading to the delay of salaries. This is also the first time that the bona fide signature of a mayor on the renewal of an appointment was cause for dismissal.

Firing him on the reason of signing a non-permanent appointment paper of his wife's brother is like killing a mosquito with a submachine gun. The series of charges are an overkill, as if Rama is the worst rascal in Cebu.

The truth is that he is being punished for being a friend of Duterte and he refuses to dance to the tune of his oppressors, the powers that be. Those who know him well are convinced he isn’t a bad person. He is kindhearted, humble, sincere, and loyal. He is a professional and career lawyer, who believes in the rule of law and who stands for equal justice for all.

He never abused his authority, robbed the coffers of the government, oppressed subordinates, or cheated the people and government. With so much fervor, passion, and enthusiasm, he dedicated his professional life and political career to serve people. He never enriched himself in office or extorted money from tycoons and taipans.

The people who are persecuting Rama are the same characters who refuse to file charges, much less to prosecute higher public officials with much more heinous offenses. The people who ousted him do not have the guts to fire those who are well-entrenched in the highest echelons of power. There are senators who have been convicted of plunder and who are allowed to continue to occupy their lofty posts by the mere expedience of an appeal or a motion for reconsideration.

But since Rama is a passionate gadfly who could not be tamed by threats and intimidation, he is being crucified. Since he is an independent thinking leader, who could not be coerced to drink the cup of poison of subservience and blind obedience, he is now hanging on the cross of vilification and all forms of harassments and intimidations.

He is already down and out. But his enemies never stop maligning him in endless vilification. The good thing is that amidst all these blitzkrieg bombardments from all directions, Rama stands like a rock and fights like a wounded lion. With strong faith, in the Almighty, with the devoted loyalty of his allies, he will never surrender nor succumb to the importunings of the Judases and the Pilates around him.

And I know that after all these agonies and sufferings, Rama shall rise again in glorious resurrection, coming back to judge his enemies and render justice to both allies and foes. God is alive and will continue to give him strength and perseverance. Rama will never give up until the last enemy is conquered, and the last false charge shall have been dismissed. His name shall be vindicated and the people's will shall prevail.

The voice of the people is the voice of God. Let not his persecutors forget that.