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Rama lauds council’s exploits of past year By Marian Z. Codilla Cebu Daily News Posted date: July 02, 2009 IN THE ABSENCE of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, acting Mayor Michael Rama took center stage yesterday during the City Council’s annual inaugural session. Without the mayor to deliver the traditional State of the City Address, Rama, as head of the city’s legislative branch, instead took the time to enumerate the City Council’s achievements during the past year, as well as his own personal accomplishments. Traditionally, the mayor delivers a State of the City Address during each year’s inaugural session – the the first council session in July of every year. Osmeña, however, flew to the United States last month for a medical examination as a follow-up to his operation last May to remove a cancerous urinary bladder. In the presence of City Hall department heads, around 30 barangay captains, former city officials, special guests and the public, Rama lauded the City Council’s passage of around 30 ordinances over the past year, including an ordinance that led to the P25-billion joint venture agreement between City Hall and real estate developer Filinvest Land Inc. Rama also cited the renovation of City Hall’s legislative building, the landscaping of Plaza Sugbu in front of City Hall, and the codification of the city’s laws. He also recognized the achievements of councilors who are on their last term – Gerardo Carillo, Arsenio Pacaña, Cristopher Alix, Sylvan Jakosalem and Nestor Archival. He urged them to never stop serving the public. “I pray that although they will temporarily retire from the elective office, they will not retire from the vocation to serve the public. It is a lifetime commitment,” Rama said. He also advised those up for reelection in 2010 to keep their dedication alive, citing that even he, who has served the public for a long time, still has a lot to learn. “Rest assured... I will continue to learn and meet the challenges of public service. One year is still a long way. As public servants, elected or appointed, we must continue our service to the public above our personal interest,” Rama said. Rama has been endorsed by Mayor Osmeña as the standard bearer of Bando Osmeña – Pundok Kauswagan in next year’s elections. But a number of barangay captains prefer that he ran for congressman in the south district. Of the city’s 80 barangay captains, 50 did not show up during yesterday’s inaugural session. Most of those who did not appear were those who signed the manifesto that pushed for Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north district) or the mayor’s wife Margot as BO-PK’s standard bearer instead. But Rama said this was the “usual attendance” during inaugural sessions. He said most barangay captains who did not show up also had their obligations to their barangays. He also pointed out that some of the manifesto signatories attended the inaugural session. These included Sto. Nino barangay captain Pancho Ramirez and eight others from the north district. Del Mar also attended the inaugural session. /WITH CORRESPONDENT CHRIS A. LIGAN