For City Officials, Employees, SOCA attendance not compulsory

CEBU, Philippines - While all barangay officials and City Hall employees were invited to witness Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama deliver his second State of the City Address today at the Plaza Sugbo, attendance is not compulsory.

Cebu City South District Rep. Tomas Osmeña questioned an alleged memo from City Hall compelling barangay officials, tanods, barangay environment officers, senior citizens group presidents, Gender and Development focal persons, department heads and city hall staff to attend the SOCA.

The congressman also questioned why senior citizens presidents were required to bring at least 10 members.

But Barangay Affairs Unit head Andrew Borres denied sending memos to barangays compelling them to attend.

“We sent invitations. The invitation does not say attendance is a must,” Borres said.

A memorandum issued by City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete addressed to all city hall employees also did not say attendance is required.

“Please be informed that the Mayor will deliver his State of the City Address (SOCA) on Monday, July 2, 2012. Hereunder is the program of activities… For information and guidance,” the memorandum dated June 29 read.

Monday is also a regular working day so City Hall employees have to be there.

Borres said that it is not true that they are requiring the attendance of those invited to ensure the mayor will have an audience.

“Buhat-buhat ra na nila para pangdaot,” Borres said.

Carreta barangay captain Eduardo Lauron said that he did not receive any memo but a mere invitation.

Duljo-Fatima Captain Elmer Abella also denied receiving a memo.

“Invitation ra man ni para na sa kapitan, konsehal, tanod ug senior citizens,” Abella said.

He said there was no order to require the barangay tanods, BEOs and councilors to attend.

Borres said that senior citizens were invited not only to attend the SOCA but to celebrate the soft opening of the park dedicated to them.

Before the Mayor’s speech, there will be a soft opening of the Senior Citizen’s Park across City Hall and the blessing and distribution of mini-garbage trucks for the barangays.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said in a newspaper report that the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan-allied councilors agreed to boycott the mayor’s SOCA. There are 15 BOPK councilors in the council.

Young said they do not want to listen to the mayor’s lies.

Only councilors Jose Daluz III, Edgardo Labella and Eduardo Rama, who are allied with the mayor, are expected to attend the mayor’s SOCA.

Rama started holding his SOCA outside the council session when the city council stopped inviting him to deliver his inaugural address during the session. This was after the mayor bolted BOPK June last year.

Aside from city officials and employees, the 75 families of distinction, senior citizens, and other sectors were invited to the SOCA.

Rama will report his accomplishments, ongoing projects and future plans in the field of governance, health, education, infrastructure and other basic services in a 29-page speech written in Cebuano. Last year, his speech lasted over an hour. — THE FREEMAN