Cebu Mayor Rama promises swift implementation of 2022 projects

CEBU, Philippines – A day after being proclaimed as the victor of the mayoral elections, Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama said he has already instructed officials to address multiple issues in the Queen City.

“The leadership of Mike Rama and Vice Mayor Raymond Garcia by June 30 will be more dynamic, filled with passion and energy,” he said in a press briefing on Wednesday, May 11.

This is Rama’s second time to win the position since 2010, but this will be his third time serving as the city’s chief executive. He assumed the role again after the late Edgar Labella’s death in 2021.

Rama vowed to fulfill his “21 Gun Salute” impact projects – his promise to the residents of the city during his campaign. 

These include better traffic lights, free public Wi-Fi, the construction of two medium-rise buildings for socialized housing, and correcting “erroneous” measures found in the joint-venture agreement for the Carbon Market Modernization project.

Rama also wants to finally pay off the South Road Property (SRP) loan for the city’s most controversial real estate project, after funds were diverted for the local pandemic response. 

Rappler asked lawyer Jerome Castillo, the head of the Cebu City Treasurer’s Office, for the remaining balance of the SRP loan but has yet to receive an answer.

“We promised good governance that we will deliver. City Hall will need to be more effective. There will be changes, but only for the city government to be more responsive to the needs of our constituents,” Rama said.

He and 14 of his allies from Partido Barug are celebrating a majority win. 

Rama won with 239,656 votes, while his opponent, former Cebu City councilor Margot Osmeña, the wife of former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña, got only 202,446 votes, based on the local board of canvassers’ final count. – Rappler.com