Rama signs board’s MOA sans SP authority

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has clarified that he signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Metro Cebu Development Coordinating Board (MCDCB) as a mayor not on behalf of the city government.

Rama said that he has already made it clear to the City Council that he signed the agreement two years ago in his capacity as mayor because they did not give him the authority.

“They (council) did not give me the authority, I knew from the very beginning when it comes to authority, allergic kaayo ang party that I belong kay gusto man nila ang akong predecessor (former Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena),” Rama said.

The councilors questioned Rama why he signed without their knowledge during the formal presentation of MCDCB on the Mega Cebu Vision 2050 program last Wednesday. 

Mega Cebu Vision 2050 is an urban development vision and cooperation among the seven cities and six towns that comprise the Metropolitan Cebu that show heavy concentration of development, urbanization and economic growth.

Rama said that his predecessor’s councilors sometimes conclude on things that they don’t even checked and verified beforehand. 

“Sometimes they jump on something that they don’t even know what really happened before. They don’t have history,” he said sarcastically. 

After the presentation, the councilors said they still have to check and study the whole thing before they will draft a resolution supporting and adopting MCDCB project.

Though they expressed willingness to support the project together with the Province of Cebu along with the 13 municipalities and cities comprising Metro Cebu who have already made an ordinance supporting the program.

“Kun ganahan sila, i-formalize ang Mega Cebu and if that is really what they want so they should give me the authority (to sign in behalf of the city government), simple,” Rama said. (FREEMAN)