Repeal of SRP Ordinance pushed

CEBU, Philippines - The four councilors allied with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama are proposing the repeal of the ordinance believed to be restricting the local chief executive from selling the South Road Properties.

Councilors Mary Ann Delos Santos, Hanz Abella, Dave Tumulak and James Cuenco who ran and won under Team Rama wanted to repeal City Ordinance No. 2332, “An Ordinance Protecting the South Road Properties and its Stakeholders from Unlawful and Unauthorized Transactions and Dealings which was approved July 18, 2012.”

“In order for the city to properly manage its cash flow and maximize its delivery of basic needs—better benefits to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), senior citizens, Barangay assistance, scholarships, Cebu City shelters, purchase dump trucks, modern firefighting equipment, and modernize the Cebu City Medical Center, just to name a few—the City needs to sell its real properties, which includes the SRP, without being tied down by City Ordinance No. 2332,” the proposed ordinance reads.

It further alleged that the ordinance “impedes the authority of the City Mayor to openly entertain prospective buyers of the SRP without having to go through the Sangguniang Panlungsod and get their prior approval” thus repealing such will increase the city government’s opportunities to earn cash real properties like the SRP thereby contributing to the city finances.

The proposed ordinance is now pending before the SP Committee on Laws for review.

Majority members of the council, who belong to opposing political party, have been stressing that the ordinance is in no way blocking Rama from selling SRP and insisted that passing through council is part of check and balance of city governance.

Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) chairman and former congressman Tomas Osmeña who lost to Rama in his bid to return to the City Hall reinforced this statement.

“The ordinance does not prohibit the mayor to sell. It only provides that he (Rama) should follow the guidelines which is the BOT law,” Osmeña told reporters.

Build Operate and Transfer is a contractual arrangement whereby the project proponent undertakes the construction, including financing, of a given infrastructure facility, and the operation and maintenance thereof, operate business within a period of time, and when contract expires, the construction now belongs to the land owner.

Osmeña added that instead of verbal negotiations like what Rama has been doing, potential investors should be made to submit proposal for the city government to assess if it is in congruence with the development directions.

He further suggested that the Rama administration could also opt to lease SRP to anyone to maximize the property instead of being idle.  (FREEMAN)