Young not impressed with SOCA

CEBU, Philippines - The State of the City Address of Mayor Michael Rama outlined his accomplishments under his one-year watch and revealed plans, but Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said he was not impressed at all.

This even as Rama mentioned Young’s name seven times during his state of the city address speech that lasted an hour and three minutes.

Rama started his speech by thanking the council headed by Young for passing and approving the supplemental budget and annual budget for this year amounting to P4.5 billion.

Young, along with 13 councilors who listened the speech, were acknowledged for their accomplishment and cooperation with his administration.

Five councilors were absent. These were Augustus “Jun” Pe, Alvin Dizon, Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, Nida Cabrera and Raul Alcoseba.

Rama also thanked the council ten times in his speech. All members of the council were mentioned except Dizon.

Dizon, the mayor’s most vocal critic, had a heated exchange with him over the issue of the Mahiga Creek settlers that resulted to the filing of an administrative case before the Office of the Ombudsman and the court against Rama.

Young said he is found some things Rama said as hard to believe, like his assurance that there is no more threat to negotiations on the controversial 93-1 lots issue.

While the issue was not originally part of Rama’s nine-page speech he mentioned it as Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and some members of the Provincial Board were present for the SOCA.

“Kinsa man ang apektado sa 93-1? Usaha’y naay mga pagduda but the governor said there will be no problem,” the mayor said.

Rama continued, saying that before their term ends they will put the 93-1 issue to rest and closure.

It can be recalled that Rama was blamed for the failure of the negotiations of the land swap deal.

In an interview with Young after the SOCA, the vice mayor said he still cannot find concrete evidence to make him believe the issue will finally be resolved.

“The 93-1 issue remains to be seen. Sure they can say they will resolve it, but it hasn’t happened yet. We need to see it. But anyway, we will give the governor and the mayor the benefit of the doubt,” Young said.

“All of us want it to be solved. Bahala na kung politically, di maayo para namo, it doesn’t matter. Even Tommy, when they said nga dili sya manghilabot, dili gyud sya manghilabot. Bahala na bisan dili mapunta niya ang credit basta masulbad lang gyud,” he added.

Rama and Young started their political careers in 1992 as city councilors under the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan, but Rama just recently left the party.

When asked for comment, Garcia said “din-a kinahanglan kay buhat naman ang gipasulti.”

Rep. Osmeña said that he will only respond to Rama’s SOCA as soon as he will be back from Manila. He was in Manila to attend the wake of Margot’s brother. –/BRP - (THE FREEMAN)