Rama to Council: "Study the law first"

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama said the members of the Cebu City Council should first study the law whenever they will propose legislative measures so that they will not appear funny to the public.

This was the mayor’s reaction to Councilor Noel Eleuterio Wenceslao’s proposed ordinance which mandates that anyone who wish to sell or dispose of the lots at the South Road Properties (SRP) should first seek the concurrence of the City Council.

Rama explained that even if the City Council will not enact such kind of ordinance, the mayor cannot sell or dispose of government properties without the City Council’s approval.

Section 455 (1) (vi) of the Local Government Code provides that among the duties and responsibilities of the mayor is to “represent the city in all its business transactions and sign in its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod or pursuant to law and or ordinances.”

Rama had wanted to sell portions of the 295-hectare SRP lots to support his planned projects for the city but the City Council, whose members are still allies of the Bando Osmeña Pundok-Kauswagan (BOPK) do not support his move.

BOPK founder and Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas R. Osmeña suggested that the city will continue selling lots at the SRP only after the construction of SM’s giant mall and the completion of Filinvest projects.

Osmeña expects the price of the lots to go up once the two major infrastructure projects of SM Prime Holdings Corporation and Filinvest are already finished, but Rama described Osmeña’s move as anti-people.

Rama said the city should not wait that for the price of the SRP lots to go up because the city now needs funds to solve the flooding problems.

According to Rama, his move of creating an ad hoc management committee for the South Road Properties (SRP) is not intended for the executive department to sell or dispose the lots without the concurrence of the City Council.

In last Wednesday’s session of the City Council, Wenceslao proposed an ordinance that seeks to protect the SRP and its stakeholders from “unlawful and unauthorized transactions and dealings.”

“Abogado gud ta, kahibalo ta og unsay balaud. Dugay na nga anaa kanang balaura nga gusto nila nga himoan og ordinansa, (I’m a lawyer and I know the law. That ordinance they are proposing has long been existing. ” the mayor said.  (FREEMAN)