Tom welcomes another political duel with Rama

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña welcomes the declaration of former mayor Michael Rama to challenge him in the 2019 elections, saying it is everyone's right to be in politics.

"Who am I to say who should run and who should not run or whatever…It's up to the people. Let them decide," Osmeña said.

Rama declared last week his intention to run for mayor next year. He reiterated his earlier intention to seek a rematch with Osmeña after a Social Weather Station (SWS) survey commissioned by a certain Atty. Paul Nejudne of Barangay Mabolo, Cebu City showed he has higher trust rating compared to Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino, who is rumored to be running for mayor next year.

Rama had since been claiming that he was cheated by Osmeña in the last elections and that he allegedly was the real winner. Rama started his political career as councilor in 1992 to 2001. He was elected vice mayor from 2001 to 2010 and later elected mayor from 2010 to 2016.

Most of his years in politics, however, were spent as member of the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan. In fact, he won his first term as mayor under the BOPK banner.

In 2013 he bolted from BOPK to form his own party, Barug Team Rama, and won his second term against Osmeña. In 2016, he lost his re-election in a rematch with Osmeña.

Although, he had declared that he is running for mayor again, his allies are not giving their commitment of support yet. Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella said they still have to discuss it with the party.

"Not yet, we still have to discuss it together with the members. We only have to put one candidate. He wants to run as mayor but it is still to be discussed by the group. There is a qualification when he said that," Labella said.

Rama and Labella are political allies but they do not belong to the same party after the latter took his oath with the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino (PDP)-Laban. Labella is now the party's Cebu City chairman. —/FPL (FREEMAN)