Mayor suggests careful review of ordinances

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants a careful review of ordinances the City Council passed due to the "discriminatory" wording in a measure authored by City Councilor Gerardo Carillo that he said he vetoed recently.

Rama turned down the proposed "Solo Parents ordinance," which sought to grant a cash assistance of 5,000 a year to each solo parent in the city, calling it "impracticable, discriminatory and violative of the equal protection clause granted by the Constitution."

Rama said there is a need to scrutinize proposed legislations, like that on the Septage Management Program, for the city to properly know if they are "implementable and practical," to further avoid conflicts during enforcement.

"I want to know if it's practicable, so that I will know if I will have a partial or absolute decision or what not kay maybe dili diay enforceable ang ordinance," Rama said.

"I want to intelligently look into the (proposed) ordinance so that I will make my comment whether (or not) there is a need for revision, amendment or what. Mo-approve ba diay kita (Do we just approve them) without thinking? It might be like the (proposed) Solo Parents nga daghang deperensya (which has many loopholes)," he added.

The mayor is yet to receive a copy of the recently-passed Septage Management Program, which requires all buildings and residential structures in the city to desludge their septage tanks every three years to five years.

City Councilor Nida Cabrera, who authored the legislation, assured that the program would ensure proper wastewater treatment and that it would protect the environment and the residents by controlling, managing and regulating the storage, collection, transport, treatment and disposal of septage or sludge from various sources. —/RHM (FREEMAN)