City Hall and Capitol conflict: Normal in a democracy

The Cebu City and provincial governments finally have something to agree about- that their seemingly endless bickering is but an exercise of democracy.

Both the city and province officials yesterday said the reaction of Msgr. Achilles Dakay towards the ongoing rift between City Hall and Capitol is understandable, saying conflicts in opinion are inevitable in a democracy.

“I understand him, he is a priest. In the church, there is no democracy, you just follow,” Mayor Tomas Osmeña said in his regular press conference yesterday. 

“I’m not a priest. This is a democracy and democracy means “away” (fight). There is unity in the church because you don’t go against on anything. Not even all the cardinals in the world can pass a resolution amending a single word of the Ten Commandments. It’s because the church has to obey the word of God which is not true in governance,” Osmeña said.

In an interview with TV Patrol- Central Visayas the other day, Dakay, media liaison officer of the Archdiocese of Cebu, criticized the seemingly endless bickering between City Hall and Capitol, saying the word wars are not creating a good example for the people.

But Osmeña contended that his disagreements with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is the “essence of democracy,” something that Capitol spokesperson Roy Jon Sepulveda also agreed to.

“We also subscribe to the opinion of the mayor that in a democracy, you cannot expect everyone to just obey. In a democracy, there are always diverse opinions,” Sepulveda said.

And in the essence of democracy, Osmeña and Sepulveda resumed the exchange of words yesterday.

Sepulveda once again berated the city, saying City Hall is blocking all projects of the provincial government situated in lots owned by the city government and that the province cannot just sit and watch but has to also protect its interest.

Osmeña, on the other hand, said he cannot just allow the provincial government to demolish the homes of more than 5,000 residents in the city whose houses are situated in the province-owned lots.

Osmeña said that being the mayor, he would do everything in his power to protect his constituents through legal means. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/JMO