Acting Mayor Garcia admits “distance” from suspended Mayor Rama

By: Pia Piquero – 4 mins ago

Mayor Michael Rama. Vice Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Is the Rama-Garcia political tandem really coming to an end?

Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia acknowledged that there is a growing rift between him and suspended Mayor Michael Rama, due to Rama’s strong disapproval of Garcia’s political orientation since he took over as acting mayor.

In an exclusive interview with Jason Monteclar posted on his official Facebook page at 6:30 a.m. on June 17, which has been shared and commented on hundreds of times, Garcia revealed that he has been repeatedly asked about this issue by both the media and his close friends.

Garcia admitted that he was “no longer positive” about Rama’s recent actions and statements, especially those directed against him and his policies.

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“I’ll be honest with you and tell you that it’s really true in the past that I didn’t feel so good either, I felt bad and that this also happened over time. In fact, there are very few public radio stations that would take up the offer,” Garcia said.

(I’ll be honest with you and say that maybe it’s true that there is a distance between us, because I wasn’t feeling so good either, I was feeling bad, and he wasn’t happy with the things I was doing. In fact, they were doing the rounds on the radio stations, in public, and I wasn’t happy with what they were doing either.)

Garcia added: “I didn’t expect that from him… I didn’t hire this man who had been working in one job for the last 10 years within a month. I actually expected him to praise me for it.”

(I didn’t expect that from him…who wouldn’t be happy that we paid four employees who hadn’t been paid for 10 months? And then we paid them their salaries within a month. I actually expected him to praise me for that.)

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The acting mayor also asked why the suspended mayor was dissatisfied with his efforts to fill loopholes by approving excavation and trenching work for the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD).

Garcia stressed that these permits allowed the installation of pipes to individual homes and remote areas, calling it a “historic effort” that finally gave 5,000 applicants access to water.

He believes this milestone should be a reason for satisfaction and wonders what he might have done wrong in this endeavor.

“Kinsa, do you have a daughter? How was that, sir?” he said.

(Who wouldn’t be happy about that? What did I do wrong?)

On June 12, the incumbent mayor was conspicuously absent from the Team Barug Rama meeting at Plaza Sugbo. At the event, Rama bluntly noted that he was the elected mayor, no one else.

Earlier, on June 7, Rama expressed concern that a “lust for power” had been spreading in Cebu City Hall since his preventive suspension. He also expressed reservations about the directives of the incumbent mayor.

When asked by Monteclar if he would still be Rama’s deputy mayor in the 2025 elections, Garcia replied: “That’s not my thing. As a party member, I just want a group of people.”

(Ask him. As a party person, I just want us to come from the same group.)

Speculation about political changes began when Rama was preventively suspended and Garcia stepped in as acting mayor.

Garcia began to differentiate his leadership style, favoring diplomacy over aggression. During Garcia’s tenure, notable changes occurred, including budget cuts for major events and accelerating progress on several projects and resolutions, which raised concerns for Rama.

As the political landscape in Cebu City continues to evolve, the public is eagerly awaiting further developments regarding the future of the Rama-Garcia tandem. As a result, many are also wondering what will happen next with Team Barug Rama, especially now that the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the 2025 midterm elections in October is approaching.

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