EDITORIAL - Communications Skills

Outgoing Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who is headed for Congress, has advised incoming mayor Michael Rama to sharpen his communications skills so as not to be misinterpreted. Actually, it is not a lack of communications skills that Rama needs but the balls to stick to what he says.

Osmeña has never been known to deny responsibility for his words. What Osmeña says goes. If what he says later proves to become untenable, he does not hide under the alibi of having been misquoted or misinterpreted. He simply revises what he said to suit the new situation.

Take the case of the controversial vigilantes. Reporters never sought out Osmeña on the issue. He himself disclosed to media that he was forming a select group of people whom he intends to unleash against suspected criminals. "Search and destroy" was the term he actually used.

When the killings began so did the backlash from the public. When the heat from the public outcry became untenable, Osmeña never denied anything. He simply reworded the statements he made earlier, saying he "may have inspired" the vigilante killings.

Osmeña can be accused of many things, but one thing that can be said for him is that he keeps his word, especially those that are intended to nettle and antagonize his enemies. He does not say one thing and then says another when his foot gets in his mouth.

Rama, it was learned, has taken the advise of Osmeña well. It is good that he should. For in terms of personality, Rama seems too good-natured and non-confrontational that he runs the risk of losing both credibility and respect.

To claim being misquoted or taken out of context is often the convenient excuse of those unwilling to take responsibility for their words. If Rama has to shed the image of being too soft for his own true worth, he needs to be strong and fair.

Of course, he should steer clear of being a clone of Osmeña in personality and character. Where most people find the one obnoxious and arrogant, Rama can be his own man without having to humiliate and inconvenience others just to prove it. Cebuanos expect that of their new leader.