Rama bars execs from attending council session

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Mayor Michael Rama has barred officials of the executive department to attend the City Council’s executive session on November 12 intended to resolve financial issues and the issue of increasing amount of garbage in the city.

Rama said the executive session is not the “proper venue” to resolve the issues.

“That (Executive session) is another skirting from the issue. SWMB (Solid Waste Management Board) can very well be invited but not in the executive session. It is a subject matter coming from the Supplemental Budget-1 which is already in the property of council,” he said.

Rama said the better thing the councilors can do is reopen the deliberation of the P2.8 billion Supplemental Budget-1 – which includes the P87 million budget for garbage tipping fee – instead of making officials of executive department attend an executive session.

Last week, the City Council approved the resolution of Councilor Nida Cabrera calling Rama, officials of SWMB, Association of Barangay Councils, Department of Public Services, Cebu Chamber of Commerce Inc., Cebu City Environmental Sanitation Enforcement Team, among others, to attend the executive session.

Cabrera, in her privilege speech on October 28, said the problem on garbage in the city is not hinged on the on the passage of SB-1 but on the “alarming and questionable increase” in the volume of garbage itself.

Cabrera, head of the Council’s committee on environment, said only 67,000 tons of garbage was collected in 2014 while for January to October this year, the number rose to 122,000 tons or an increase of 82 percent.

Cabrera noted that only P60 million was utilized for the garbage collection last year, adding that it was not even used up.

She said that for 2015, the City Council has approved P101 million, excluding the additional P87 million under the SB-1 that the executive department is asking for.

Rama, on the other hand, said the questions of the councilors will be addressed properly if they will deliberate the SB-1.

For four times already, the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan-dominated Council rejected the call of the minority bloc to lift the suspension on the deliberation of the SB-1.

The deliberation was suspended after lawyer Romulo Torres sued the council to stop the city government from using the P8.3 billion it earned from the sale of 45.2 hectares of the South Road Properties.

Rama said the council should not be cowed by any complaint, stressing that cases cannot stop any money that is already in the coffers of the government.

“I wish election is now and the people will not vote for them. They are not anymore representing the desire of the people and the desire of the people is to address garbage, honorarium for police, asphalting and SRP loan payment. I wish they are responsible but they are not coming out responsible because they are delaying (SB-1),” he said.

He will meet members of DPS, SWMB, Gubat sa Basura, Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, among others, to discuss the issue on garbage in the city.

Rama said he wants to be informed on the status of the city government in the collection of garbage in the city knowing that the P101 million approved budget this year has been depleted.  (FREEMAN)