Mayor Rama calls for unity among Cebuano leaders

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama hopes that Cebu as a whole will have a unified stand on the ongoing squabble between the country’s top political families, the Dutertes and Marcoses, and said Cebu should be the solution instead of doing things that would only add fuel to fire.

Rama, in his own program over the Sugboanon channel, said he had a meeting yesterday concerning this matter, but did elaborate with whom.

A separate meeting with PDP-Laban national president, Palawan Representative Jose Alvarez is also set today, Feb.2, says Rama, who is the vice president for the Visayas of the said party.

In the meantime, while Rama’s main focus is Cebu City, he said there is also a need to sit as One Cebu Island.

“What we have gone in terms of gains in terms of economics, etc. we should protect it and defend it. Dili mahimo tungod sa kagubot sa Luzon ug Mindanao, ang Cebu City nay naala-ot. Dili sad na mahimo. We cannot allow that to happen. Cebu City with the (Cebu) Governor (Gwendolyn Garcia), I would wish that the Governor and One Cebu island, we should be the solution,” Rama said.

“We should not get into adding more fuel to fire, but rather we stay as a balancing factor because we need our country to stabilize. It’s just quite unfair, wa pa gani ta kaabot ug duha ka tuig sa Uni-team, unya karon naa nay tug-of-war. It’s not fair to the people, it’s not fair to those who supported the Uniteam,” Rama lamented.

Rama disclosed that he called Garcia yesterday but the latter accordingly could not talk to him.

The other day, the Capitol’s official news network, Sugbo News, reported that Garcia had a “hoarse voice.”

The mayor said he is also hoping to speak with Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco.

Rama hopes they could all meet together before everyone gets busy for the next election again and while President Bongbong Marcos’ next SONA is still a few months from now.

Rama said all these should be for the sake of the children and their future.

“I am emphatic about this issue because I love my city. I love my province. I love my country. And I love the children, because the children is the future of our country. They need us to speak,” Rama stressed. – ATO (CEBU NEWS)