Duterte list responsible
His inclusion on President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of alleged drug protectors is reportedly the reason he is getting threats to his life.
Now, former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama urged Duterte anew to clear his name.
“Mr. President, do your share. Delist me because I am not a drug protector and I will repeat, you have offended me, you have offended my family, and you have offended my supporters. Please do your share,” Rama said.
Rama made the call before his supporters during the flower offering at the statue of Don Vicente Rama who was responsible for making Cebu a chartered city.
Yesterday was the city’s 81st charter anniversary.
“Never have this occurred if there was no such thing as accusation from the President making me a drug protector… I am not a drug protector, Mr. President. You know who the real drug protector is here in the City of Cebu. Please, you have wounded me as a person,” Rama explained.
A tarpaulin draped at the skywalk in Barangay Basak San Nicolas showed Rama’s image encircled along with the words, “Ikaw sunod (You are next).” The tarpaulin surfaced following the ambush of lawyer and Ronda Vice Mayor Jonnah John Ungab.
Ungab was the lawyer of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa whom Duterte has tagged as a bigtime drug lord in Eastern Visayas.
The tarpaulin featured a February 2016 photo of Rama administering the oath of Espinosa’s father, Rolando, then mayor of Albuera, Leyte. Ungab was also in the photo.
The faces of Ungab and Rolando were marked with an “X”.
“I worked so hard (for) 24 years, honest to goodness good governance in public service, and this is the thing akong makuha? Unsa mang pagkabutanga? Tan-awa ra unsa’y nahitabo nga hasta ang tarpaulin gi-hang pa… Mao na, wala man ni maabot aning panahona kon wala pa ang akusasyon,” Rama said.
Rama said he did his best to clear his name – even attempting a visit to the Duterte – to no avail.
“Taas na ko’g giagian. Nangayo ko og audience, nangiliyupo diri, nangiliyupo dira pero hangtod karon, wala pa gihapon. Unsa man ning klase sa gobernoha? Nganong inyo man kong gi-condemn? Wala man ko’y sala,” he said.
Rama said should anything happen to him, Duterte should be answerable.
His message to the President: “I am not a drug protector and if, one day, something will happens to me, please face the consequence of your accusation to the innocent person of Mike Rama.”
Rama said he has no idea who put the tarpaulin up but called on his political foe, Mayor Tomas Osmeña, and the police, to do something.
“The mayor should do something about that because he is the mayor and the mayor is supposed to execute the laws and he should know what to do. He should take care of me as a citizen and all the policemen should take care of me,” Rama said.
Osmeña, for his part, said he will not give Rama police escort and he cannot defend anyone linked to illegal drugs.
“I cannot (provide). If you get involved with bad elements, I cannot be responsible for your safety,” he said.