In centralizing all commissions and committees under his office, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to build his own political machinery for his reelection bid in 2013.<\/p>\n
Rep. Tomas Osme\u00f1a of Cebu City’s south district\u00a0 made the claim as he accused the mayor of \u201claying siege\u201d on the commissions and committees that used to be chaired by councilors.<\/p>\n
During yesterday\u2019s off-site City Council session in the hinterland barangay of Guba, Osme\u00f1a cited as an example the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA).<\/p>\n
He said the office was\u00a0 taken from Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa and placed directly under the mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
Councilor Nida Cabrera told Cebu Daily 黑料社 that she was also told that Rama wanted the Cebu City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team (CESET) placed directly under his office.<\/p>\n
The CESET falls under Cabrera, the council’s environment committee chairperson.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am only waiting for them to actually take supervision of the CESET from me,\u201d Cabrera told CDN.<\/p>\n
Rep. Osme\u00f1a said \u201ccentralization\u201d of City Hall operations is contrary to the administration Bando Osmena-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) policy of giving executive functions to councilors.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything is now being centralized because Rama does not trust anybody.\u00a0 He is only bitter and embarrassed because he thought that the councilors will go along with him when he left BO-PK,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Since the councilors opted to stay with BO-PK, Osme\u00f1a said Rama \u201cis now trying to build up his own (group) and he says that this is not about politics.\u201d<\/p>\n
City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete defended Rama, saying the mayor hasn\u2019t made any pronouncement to this effect.<\/p>\n
During yesterday\u2019s session, the council tabled two resolutions filed by the mayor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
One resolution asked for the hiring of 40 job order workers to conduct re-validation of socialized housing records for the Department of the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP).<\/p>\n
The second resolution authorized Rama to enter into contract with Metro Waste-Gela Construction JV for a waste water treatment facility at the Inayawan Sanitary landfill estimated to cost P10.58 million.<\/p>\n
The council instead approved 45 resolutions, among them the P1.2 million appropriation for the city’s Sinulog preparation and resolutions for the release of financial assistance to some barangays.<\/p>\n
Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young clarified that the council’s inaction on the two resolutions was not in retaliation to Rama\u2019s move to centralize the commissions and committees under his office.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s okay if the mayor will think of it as retaliation.\u00a0 The council only reacted.\u00a0 When we do something, it should be objective,\u201d the vice mayor said.<\/p>\n
Cabrera said the council wanted to reduce the appropriation for a waste water treatment facility due to the impending closure of the Inayawan landfill site.<\/p>\n
Councilor Eduardo Rama Jr., the mayor\u2019s nephew, questioned the council\u2019s decision to table the two resolutions.<\/p>\n
Councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa, the proponent of the resolution, said he wanted to know if the city won\u2019t exceed its personnel service ceiling with the hiring of 40 job order workers.<\/p>\n
Councilor Margot Osme\u00f1a said re-validation of DWUP records can be done by existing barangay registration personnel.<\/p>\n
Young said the council did doubts the reason behind the hiring of 40 job order workers after they secured an accomplishment report of Rama\u2019s speech writer and consultant Leonardo Chiu.<\/p>\n
Chiu, the mayor’s consultant and speech writer, mistakenly submitted to the council a journal of his activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report of Nards Chiu has created doubt… that the workers may be used for Rama\u2019s re-election.\u00a0 We don’t trust them anymore,\u201d said Young.<\/p>\n
Rep. Osme\u00f1a said Chiu’s report was proof that Rama was trying to use DWUP to build his own \u201cpolitical machinery.\u201d<\/p>\n
His wife, Councilor Osme\u00f1a earlier questioned the mayor’s decision to transfer the 2012 appropriation for the Cebu City Commission for the Welfare and Protection of Children (CCWPC) under the mayor’s special project and program account.<\/p>\n
She said the commission which she heads no longer has a budget.<\/p>\n
A P5.2 million appropriation for CCWPC is being proposed next year.<\/p>\n
The councilor said a transfer of appropriation would only lead to \u201cbureaucracy\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at it closely, you will see a pattern.\u00a0 It’s a siege mentality… You are asking for deterioration because you are asking to centralize everything,\u201d said Rep. Osme\u00f1a.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In centralizing all commissions and committees under his office, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants to build his own political machinery for his reelection bid in 2013. Rep. Tomas Osme\u00f1a of Cebu City’s south district\u00a0 made the claim as he accused the mayor of \u201claying siege\u201d on the commissions and committees that used to be […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1242,1227],"tags":[88,206102,49],"byline":[1248],"source":[206068],"column":[],"editor":[],"videographer":[],"position":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n