No internal conflict between Rama and Labella

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña claims that the Barug Team Rama Partidong Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban is experiencing an internal turmoil considering that there are reportedly two individuals who want to run as mayor in the 2019 elections.

"Now, they're fighting, they're fighting.  Michael Rama versus Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella,"Osmeña said.

Rama and Labella were both under the local party, Barug Team Rama PDP-Laban. In the 2016 elections, Rama ran for mayor, while Labella served as his vice mayor.

Rama had earlier expressed his intention to take the city leadership back in the upcoming local elections, while there are also insinuations that Labella will also be running for mayor.

Osmeña said both Rama and Labella has their own advantages, as he refused to answer who would be a stronger opponent in the next elections.

"Naa'y advantage, they both have their advantages. Rama has bailiwick, he is able to keep his bailiwick. Labella even cannot win in his precinct. His brother cannot even win in his precinct. What more the barangay? That's one. I think Labella has greater appeal than Rama," Osmeña said.

"Like I said it depends on what you're looking at. It's hard to win without a base, and Labella does not have a base. Rama has a base," he further said.

The FREEMAN tried but failed to get the side of Labella as of press time.

Rama, for his part, denies his local party is experiencing a conflict as to who will run for chief executive post in 2019 elections.

He even questioned why Osmeña would meddle with his party.

"What's the problem? Is that his problem? And that would not be an internal conflict, it will be a matter that we will be threshing out," Rama said.

He prefers not to answer whether or not Labella expressed intention to run for mayor.

"No, I would not be telling about what's going on because Labella is the chairman of PDP-Laban and I am the over-all head of Barug where PDP-Laban has collided," Rama said.

But he assured that he maintains a good relationship with Labella.

Barug Team Rama PDP-Laban Councilor Joel Garganera denied that his group has a squabble.

He said Rama and Labella maintain a good relationship with each other.

Garganera said their group meets every now and then to discuss as to who will be their mayoral candidate for the upcoming elections.

"Wala-wala… Our party is very dynamic and one thing for sure, there will be only one candidate. That's our process. Why doesn't he (Osmeña) just mind his own party and then we have our own gymnastics here? Ang kapait niya manghilabot siya namo," Garganera said.

He prefers not to comment on Osmeña's opinion that Rama has more loyal supporters compared to Labella.

But he said both Rama and Labella are good contenders.

"That's his but I can read his mind. I will not comment after that. That's his," Garganera said.

Meanwhile, Osmeña is willing to welcome more barangay captains who wished to join his party Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan.

At present, there are at least two barangays from Barug Team Rama PDP-Laban who shifted to BOPK.

These barangays are Guba, and Day-as. There are at least 50 barangays under BOPK and 30 for Barug Team Rama PDP-Laban.

For Rama's part, he admitted that he was not threatened that there are barangays who started to bolt out of their group, saying their opponent played a "dirty" move.

"No, no we have lost because of dirty elections. I will not be threatened because I know the ground and the ground has been coerced, the ground has been intimated. He (Osmeña) is a dirty political opponent," he said. — GAN (FREEMAN)