Rival’s new tact gladdens Rama

CEBU, Philippines - He decided to keep quiet until his 59th birthday yesterday.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday said he has consistently pushed for the construction of a new city hospital and is “happy” learning that City Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña is changing her stance from simply ha-ving the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) retrofitted to the building of a new edifice.

“The real answer to the medical problem of the city is a new, bigger city hospital that is able to serve the poor people of Cebu City,” Rama told reporters yesterday.

He called for a press conference after casting his vote in Barangay Guadalupe with son Atty. Mikel Rama.

He considered the realization of a new hospital building as his birthday and Christmas wish.

Four days after the launch of  Rama’s “Piso Mo, Hospital Ko” fund drive for a new CCMC building, the City Council said it wants the retrofitting of the 45-year-old structure, which structural engineers have considered already unsafe for occupancy.

The council, which is dominated by Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) allies, argued that retrofitting the damaged structure costs less and is achievable sooner than ha-ving to tear it down and building a new one on its place.

The body made the decision during an executive session last Friday, with City Engineer Kenneth Enriquez and consultant structural engineer Ariel Dela Cruz present.

Margot was one of those who asked the City Department of Engineering and Public Works to submit a program of works and estimates if the city would just retrofit the hospital.

She, however, released a statement Sunday clarifying that she is not blocking the construction of a new buil-ding and in fact wants that it proceed as soon as possible. She also urged for the speedy transfer of funds for the purpose.

Asked what could have made the BOPK councilor and wife of his political nemesis, former mayor Tomas Osmeña, to have a “change her heart,” the mayor said he’d rather leave it at that.

“Whatever (reason) made them change their heart is theirs alone. Besides, I do not want to be their spokesperson,” Rama said, adding that he does not want to speculate on it during his birthday.

He stressed that among the elected city officials, he is most familiar in handling CCMC matters, being involved in hospital concerns since 1992.

The mayor has tasked City Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos to look into how to tap local experts and have them contribute in making the “people’s hospital” possible.

“Cebu is home to experts who are excellent in the fields of urban planning, architecture, and engineering. We have the likes of Kenneth Cobonpue, who has been in the global arena in terms of design,” Rama said.

Realizing the “people’s hospital,” he added, includes the help of the city council and national go-vernment officials, whom he described as not the most supportive in terms post-quake rehabilitation efforts in the city. —/RHM (FREEMAN)