Rama denies Capitol's appeal on its SRP bid

Cebu - Acting mayor Michael Rama has rejected the appeal of the Cebu provincial government to contest the unsolicited proposal of Filinvest Land Inc. to enter into a joint venture with the city government for the development of a 50-hectare lot at the South Road Properties.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, through provincial planning and development officer Adolfo Quiroga, had sent Rama a two-page letter on Wednesday afternoon asking the acting mayor to reconsider the decision of the Joint Venture Selection Committee.

The provincial officials had asked Rama to reverse the decision of the JVSC headed by city administrator Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez who ruled that the Province of Cebu is ineligible to bid over the same portion that the FLI has proposed to develop.

Quiroga said the province had decided to appeal the decision of the JVSC pursuant to the provision of City Ordinance 2154, which prescribes the guidelines and procedures for entering into joint venture agreements with private entities.

While the mayor has a 30-day period to study and evaluate the appeal submitted to his office, Rama said he quickly resolved the appeal filed by the Capitol officials in just a matter of hours.

Quiroga’s two-page letter, which he considered as a formal notice of appeal, was received at Rama’s office at 4:40 p.m. last Wednesday and the acting mayor quickly read it and prepared his answer in the night of the same day.

Rama refused to give the media copies of his letter until the person he tasked to hand carry the communication to the governor’s office arrived yesterday afternoon.

“I have gone over your appeal for reconsideration as well as its supporting documents and found nothing therein that would warrant a reversal of the JVSC’s decision. I concur fully with the committee’s decision, and therefore, affirm it,” Rama said in his letter.

Mayor on-leave Tomas Osmena, who is currently undergoing treatment of the cancer in his urinary bladder in Houston, Texas said he admired Rama for his move. “Acting mayor Rama just did his job. The province did not qualify. How can you pass a failing student? I wondered why there was some hesitation at first. Even the Filinvest Land Inc. was wondering.”

The members of the JVSC headed by Fernandez scheduled for an urgent meeting together with the representative of the FLI at 11 a.m. today to formally award the contract for the joint venture.

Fernandez said the JVSC will also draft a letter that will request the City Council to allow the acting mayor to sign into a contract for a joint venture with the project proponent.

Once the contract is awarded to FLI, the public will be allowed to scrutinize its provisions to find out whether it is advantageous or disadvantageous to the city. But Capitol consultant on information and revenue generation Rory Jon Sepulveda yesterday said that the Provincial Government is preparing for their next move on the recent denial of their appeal.

“Abangan nalang. Everything will be submitted to the governor ug maghuwat nalang ta kung unsa’y desisyon,” Sepulveda said.

Garcia is still in southern part of the province for the Suroy-Suroy Sugbo-Southern Heritage. 

Sepulveda yesterday received the communication from Rama regarding the denial of their appeal while he was in a press conference.

The Capitol official said the letter of Rama gives them enlightenment for the clarification they sought from the acting mayor after they received a letter from the JVSC that their motion for reconsideration has been denied. Sepulveda said they are in “genuine puzzlement” and “surprise” since the letter was signed by Fernandez and not the chief executive or duly authorized representative.

“Now it’s clear that our appeal is ruled upon by the Chief Executive. That’s it,” Sepulveda said.

And on the reports that the JVSC for the SRP is also set to award today the development of 50.6 hectares to FLI, Sepulveda has this to say: “Go on. They can award it, just like what they did in the texters choice award.”He was referring to the recent controversy on the “Globe Texters Choice Award” in Miss Cebu 2009 pageant. — Rene U. Borromeo and Garry B. Lao/WAB (THE FREEMAN)