Mike Rama confirms SONA attendance

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has confirmed his attendance during the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City on July 24.

Rama said he will be there as the national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), for his nephew, Cebu City Second District Representative Edu Rama, for PBBM, and most especially for the City of Cebu.

“I’ll be there for LCP, I’ll be there for Edu, because a Rama, my brother (Eduardo Rama, Sr.) was a congressman (Agusan del Norte), then the son (Edu) became a congressman (Cebu City South District). I’ll be there for my friendship with BBM and most of all I’ll be there for the City of Cebu, much less I’ll be there for the country,” Rama told reporters.

The mayor, however, is not saying if he is expecting anything to be discussed in the SONA while also reserving his comments concerning PBBM’s accomplishment in his first year as President of the Philippines.

“I’ll wait for the presentation of the SONA. Let‘s judge, let’s make our verdict (after the SONA) and let’s be human. I don’t want to pre-empt yet, I don't want to. I call it encompassing. There are issues that have to be put together because I want to see the mosaic,” Mayor Rama said.

So far though, the biggest project that PBBM has put into Cebu City includes the actual start of construction of the Cebu BRT after almost a decade since the approval of the funding of the project mainly from the World Bank and the Pambansang Pabahay.

PBBM no less led the ground-breaking of the CBRT last February 27 at Fuente Osmeña.

That same day also saw PBBM leading the groundbreaking ceremony of the Pambansang Pabahay at the South Road Properties.

The Marcos administration promised around 30,000 housing units for Cebu City residents under the housing program.

The first phase of the Cebu City South Coastal Urban Development Housing Project covers ten 20-storey buildings within the 25-hectare development and is expected to benefit about 8,000 informal settler families and low-wage earners in the city.

During Mayor Rama’s so-called People’s State of the City Address (SOCA), he expressed elation for the presence of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, Undersecretary Terence Calatrava, saying, when the latter was around, it also meant Malacanan’s presence.

Earlier, PBBM assured the Filipino people that he will discuss in his second SONA the country’s present situation, what happened in the past year and what will happen in the years to come.  —(FREEMAN)