Resignation was Rama’s most honorable option
The resignation by Vice Mayor Mike Rama from the Sinulog Foundation Inc. was the only honorable option left to him, after the mayor's boys pushed him to cross the Rubicon. Politics destroyed harmony in City Hall, even as we needed just one team for the Sinulog. When, in 1980, then Regional Director David Odilao of the former Ministry of Sports and Youth Development started the Sinulog festival, it was a simple but meaningful celebration. No politics at all.
Only one person with a lean organizing committee made it happen. Then Cebu City Mayor Florentino Solon supported it but didn’t interfere in its planning, organizing, implementation. The event was dominated by young students as Odilao's vision was to make it a youth celebration in honor of the Santo Niño. After it became a success, Odilao turned it over to the mayor. Consecutive city executives made it bigger and bigger, until it surpassed the Ati-atihan of Kalibo and the Dinagyang of Iloilo. Not even Tacloban’s Pintados Festival was as popular. But they didn’t create two groups to compete in running it.
It has been said that success has many fathers, while failure is an orphan. After the Sinulog became a global phenomenon, many politicians wanted affiliation with it. It becomes an opportunity to show off leadership, organizing skills, competence to manage such a grandiose festival. But politics started to rear its ugly head in this religious and cultural celebration. Had Rama insisted to assert his overall mandate as SFI head, next year's Sinulog would have two groups competing to outdo each other in planning and implementation. The result would be a disaster. Thus, resignation was the best option.
The SFI has the mandate and the respect of the people. It has proven its worth. There’s nothing wrong with it. But some wise guys might have advised Mayor Labella that the city should not take it sitting down, as his name is at stake. The Sinulog, to their mind, is identified with Cebu City and its success and failure reflects the leadership of the current administration. Thus, a Sinulog Governing Board has been created by executive fiat. Rama, the head of SFI, has been excluded from it. And it couldn’t be said the exclusion was unintentional.
If Labella and Rama are really partners, they should have discussed the creation of the board. It is just one cup of coffee or one phone call away. But this wasn’t done, according to my source. In fairness, Labella is a very nice person. He is good-natured and I cannot imagine him intentionally shutting off Mike, who is his friend, the president of the party that catapulted him to power, the man who made the biggest sacrifice to make him mayor. Apparently, there are powers trying to push Labella their way. No matter how Labella would try to deodorize the creation of the board with invocation of good faith, the people who love Mike can immediately smell a rat. As expected, Mike, being an incurable diplomat, offered to attend the board's meeting, just to make sure there would be harmony and synchronization of plans. He was told that he wasn’t invited. What a rebuff.
If that wasn’t a slap to Rama, if that wasn’t a “de facto” cutting off or relationship, that was, in fact, a declaration of war. Thus the best war dance in the Sinulog will not happen in the streets. It might happen in the boardrooms and even in court. If Rajah Humabon and Leon Kilat would be leading the same battle, the foot soldiers would be confused as to who is the true commander. I pray to the Santo Nino for a miracle of peace and reconciliation. Odilao and Solon didn’t dream of such a ruckus. And Mayor Tom might even be giggling.
- Latest
