Mike Rama: You cannot put this good man down

The political enemies of Mayor Mike Rama, being miserably jealous and hopelessly spiteful, can do anything and everything at their worst, but the good mayor cannot be distracted as he is doing his best to make Cebu City the pride of Cebuanos, truly a model city of burgeoning trade and economy, but also a just and humane habitat of social development and its landscape teeming with modern infrastructures and fueled by cutting edge technology.

The mayor, being both a visionary and a man of action, is focused on the higher goal and is prepared with the precise action steps. And being a high caliber HR and labor law expert, Mayor Mike knows how to deal with people and how to motivate his human capital  on how to  make things happen the tried and tested way. Mayor Mike, having been an outstanding HR manager, has developed a well-honed level of expertise in  choosing the right people for the right job and challenging them to do what is right and also, doing it the right way. The advantage of Mayor Mike over his political rivals is that he knows how to gauge people. Mayor Mike knows who are genuine and who are fake, he has enough skills in discerning who are authentic and who are merely masquerading to show off and to advance hidden agenda.

The good mayor, the worthy grandson of Cebu City's founder, Don Vicente Rama, is also an excellent lawyer who knows his law and who won major cases. At a very young age, he won for his company a big labor case and his name is emblazoned by the Supreme Court in its records of decided cases. You can check it out and verify what we are saying here. The title of the case is Cebu Oxygen And Acetylene Company versus Honorable DOLE Secretary Franklin M. Drilon, et al, case number G.R. 82849 decided by the Supreme Court En Banc on August 2, 1989. Mayor Mike saved the company millions of pesos and obtained justice with the Aboitiz owners of COACO not having to hire an external counsel. He was both HR and Company lawyer at the same time. Mayor Mike is the original multi-skilled, multi-tasking corporate executive. Imagine, he was able to persuade the 15 justices of the Supreme Court to overturn the decision of DOLE Secretary Drilon.

The rivals of Mayor Mike do not have his twin expertise: HR and law. Mayor Mike's political detractors are just jealous and spiteful because this man makes things happen with gentle and persuasive ways, his passion, dynamism and focused persistence. He has been criticized and even maligned by those whom he defeated in many political battles. Instead of wasting time answering back, he continues to what is needed and what is important. He has been accused of the worst charges, even by former president Duterte who acted and spoke recklessly based on fake news and ill-motivated rumors. But Mayor Mike never surrendered. At the end, he was able to clean his name and President Duterte made amends in due time. They cannot put a really good man down. The voters gave Mayor Mike a fresh mandate and that was the best vindication that one could ever get.

Many of the mayor's former friends and even his own relatives had distanced themselves from him because Mike always stands by his core values and fundamental principles. Some people who fail to get what they want are bitter but the mayor has a city to lead and bigger responsibilities to focus on. Some trivial, petty and parochial interests could not be accommodated because Mayor Mike is the leader of the whole city, not just the mayor for his close kin and few chosen friends and associates. When a leader makes hard and bitter decisions, he can hurt people, step on others' shoes and earn the ire of former friends and allies. But a leader makes decisions not to please people but to do what is right.

Mayor Mike is Cebu City's best bet for the Philippine senate, as Governor Gwen is the province's brightest hope to become a national figure. Mayor Mike has the competence, the skills, the experience and the charm to do better than many incumbent senators, who are nothing but  second rate, trying hard copycats, to borrow the words of Cherry Gil. Mayor Mike has brilliant ideas, is articulate and has the disarming charisma that can charm his way to success. I am a biased character witness of course, as he was my former student. But the best evidence of all that I am writing about here is no one else but Mike himself. Mark my words: this guy will go much higher in the days to come.