Rama’s paradigm shift
I yield this space to the speech Vice Mayor Michael Rama delivered in the inaugural session of the Cebu City Council. He entitled it “Paradigm Shift”.
“In the months leading to the May 13, 2019 elections, my position was not enviable. People of different frames of mind approached me wherever I was. My Social media accounts were besieged with diverse comments. There were nights when I was awakened by friends telling me what was best to do with my political life. Literally speaking, I was at a proverbial crossroads.
“I now face all of you as your vice mayor.
“Friends, on this inaugural session of the 15th sanggunian, I would like to open my heart and mind to you for your scrutiny. Let me tell you that I conceived an idea to guide me as I steady the course of the city council in the next three years. I have come to embrace this concept which I call as a Paradigm Shift. My decision to slide down was my first paradigm shift. It was not without reason. … I led this city as a mayor for six years from 2010-2016. In my earnest pursuit for the best of our people, I realized that for the mayor to succeed in his most important programs, he needs legislative anchor.
“In my time as mayor, while we placed the city among the top cities in the world, we also suffered a kind of political paralysis. Incongruent political agenda blurred some portions of our collective goal. We could not move forward as much as we wanted. Rather than cooperate, we sometimes chose to be adversarial. When my visionary ideas clashed against a numerically superior opposition in the council, my hands were manacled … There were aspects of my most cherished dreams for the city that were waylaid by political paralysis.
“My dear friends, I will endeavor to achieve my second paradigm shift. Allow me to start with an acknowledgement of an incontrovertible truth. Life is a gift from above … In my humble discernment I have resolved to make full use of my life to an admittedly new beginning. I will devote the lessons I have learned through 24 years of my public service and the skills I have honed to do what is best for Cebu City.
“Let me tell you that I conceived a guide to steady the course of the city council in the next three years. This guide is a platform called AHEAD. Support the mayor’s legislative Agenda, High tech legislative infrastructure, Enactment of laws that are truly pro-people, Advancement of skills in the sanggunian and Develop the capability of the barangays.
“With that commitment, I shall be prepared to up the proverbial ante. This will be my most important paradigm shift... I will exhaust all avenues to shift from political paralysis to cooperative synergies. … I am sure that you have great pro-active ideas to improve the lives of our people certain that these are not alien to the pronounced policy directions of inclusive and participatory governance of Mayor Labella. Last Sunday, our mayor promised among many other things, efficient garbage collection, abundant water, manageable traffic, effective flood control, improved healthcare, and peace and order. Above all, we must set our sights on the historic impact of our centennial celebration in 2021.
“I wish and pray that this will be our rallying point. We have so much to do. Don’t you forget that Portuguese navigator Hernando Magallanes, while flying the Spanish flag, came to our shores 500 years ago in 2021. Let us support Mayor Labella move these thoughts from conception to action notwithstanding our different party affiliations.”
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