The article emphasized that despite Osmeña's critique of Rama's multiple personas, both politicians crafted specific images to appeal to voters.
[5] In a July 2015 Facebook post, former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña criticized his erstwhile ally and political rival, Mayor Michael Rama, accusing Rama of mismanaging government funds and selling off valuable South Road Properties (SRP) lots, a project Osmeña initially conceptualized.
Osmeña highlighted concerns about the depletion of City Hall funds under Rama's tenure, contrasting it with the substantial amount he purportedly left behind upon stepping down.
The Office of the President determined that such actions were not justified as street lights and center islands are not nuisances, and their removal should have followed appropriate legal procedures.
In August 2016, President Rodrigo Duterte has mentioned former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama as one of the country's alleged drug protectors, along with other individuals, during an event.
In August 2022, Mayor Michael Rama had repeatedly expressed his vision of making Cebu City "Singapore-like" since taking office, inspired by a recent visit to Singapore.
However, there is a lack of specific goals and a clear roadmap for achieving this vision, leading to questions about what it means to be "Singapore-like" and the need for Cebu City to define its objectives more precisely.
Critics argue that the city should set clear, measurable targets to determine if it achieves its goal of becoming "Singapore-like.
The action was anchored on “impermissible encroachment” on April 1, 2024, “deliberate and flagrant disregard” of its authority, and “obstinate disobedience and resistance” to an injunction from Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10.
[16] Metropolitan Cebu Water District's Chairman Jose Daluz III and General Manager Edgar Donoso, filed the complaints against Rama with the Office of the President through the DILG on April 29, 2024.
However, an order from the Ombudsman was released later in the day, in which Rama was perpetually disqualified from holding public office for nepotism in a case involving the hiring of two of his brothers-in-law as city employees.
[21] On October 22, the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against the Commission on Elections's Resolution which disqualified Rama from running in the 2025 polls.