You are known by the choices you make

The elections in Cebu City are expected to be very interesting. But more importantly, it will prove to be very instructive. It will show to the rest of the country the kind of electorate Cebuanos really are.

Cebuanos have always prided themselves as intelligent voters. But are they really? Well, we will know soon enough. Cebuanos will be as much in the limelight as the candidates themselves. They will be judged by the choices they make.

Here are the choices before them. The battle for mayor pits incumbent Mike Rama and the comebacking Tomas Osmeña. For vice mayor, it is between incumbent Joy Young and councilor Edgar Labella. Both tandems have complete slates for the city council.

The fight for congressman in the North District is between veteran Raul del Mar and movie talent manager Annabelle Rama. In the South District, it is between Bebot Abellanosa and Totol Batuhan.

Throughout the campaign, the fight for mayor appears to be a close one. But only because both have well-oiled political machineries. If Cebuanos are truly intelligent voters, they should look beyond the externals. They should dig deep into the person.

Shorn of political trappings, the question to ask really is whether Osmeña deserves to be mayor again or should Rama be kept where he is. But before the question is answered, it might be worthwhile to consider a few things.

Osmeña has been mayor for many years. In all the time he was mayor, can Osmeña put a finger on anything significant to claim as his own achievement, something that does not bring on board the actual involvement of the Cebuanos themselves? Your answer should guide your vote.

It is likely Osmeña will say SRP, for it is true he worked for it. But it is the Cebuanos who pay for the loan that made it possible. Without them there won't be any SRP. On the other hand, the SRP could still have risen if the Cebuanos wanted it, regardless of who is mayor.

Now Rama has been mayor for one term and he has not done much either. But if Rama has not proven himself, it can only be because he was never given the chance by an uncooperative and seriously compromised city council that is hopelessly beholden to Osmeña.

If the council is beholden to Osmeña, it is because it was Osmeña who gave it its spine. As the legislature of the second most important city in the country, the track record of the city council is utterly dismal. Thus, in this election, it matters not who gets to sit in the council.

What is important, however, is to make sure the right vice mayor is elected, the vice mayor being the presiding officer of the law-making body. Candidate Labella is a lawyer and one time Ombudsman director. Young is not.

Now, the race for Congress in the North District should be a no-brainer. Del Mar has long been a distinguished member of Congress and has fathered many vital pieces of legislation that benefitted Cebu and the Cebuanos. Annabelle Rama is an unproven aspirant to the legislature.

The big disappointment is in the South District, where the race is between two tough choices. Abellanosa and Batuhan. Batuhan and Abellanosa. Two interchangeable pieces in a game nobody cares who wins.

Osmeña or Rama. Young or Labella. Del Mar or Rama. I do not know about you. But to me the choices are very clear. Just one thing, though. When you vote, make sure you are able to hold your head high after the votes are counted and you are known by the choices you made.