Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña sounded the warning in the wake of last Tuesday’s debate of Cebu City’s mayoralty candidates.
The activity was sponsored by a coalition of non-government organizations called Kaabag sa Sugbo at the University of San Carlos campus.
The mayor said both Garcia and Sonny criticized the cash aid for seniors, graduating high school students and people with disabilities (PWD), describing them as doleouts.
“No more help for them…instead they want to demolish the whole downtown area,” Tomas said.
During last Tuesday’s forum, Sonny said the mayor is using proceeds from the SRP sales to give cash doleouts instead of reducing the loan debt incurred from reclaiming the land covering the SRP.
Garcia agreed with the former senator, but said the funds should be used for various programs and services that the city had been denied for years due to the debt payments for the loan.
Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama, standard bearer of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) didn’t attend citing prior engagements. Georgia Osmeña was recovering from gall bladder surgery.
“The SRP is the problem of Cebu City. We are paying P3.3 billion to JBIC (Japan Bank of International Cooperation). If I get elected, I will create a panel of real estate experts and know it from them if the city will hold on to that property or not,” Garcia said.
Sonny is running as an independent candidate while Garcia is the standard-bearer of the local opposition Kugi Uswag Sugbo (Kusug).
Tomas questioned Garcia’s proposal, saying that lots for the urban poor were lost due to claims by the province.
“You’ll let this people run the SRP? It was while he (Alvin) was mayor that the province did not extend anymore the opportunity under Provincial Ordinance 93-1. I was the one who convinced (Cebu Gov. Gwen Garcia) to get into a land swap,” the mayor said.
Osmeña said the deal involving the 93-1 lots and some Cebu City property fell through after Vice Mayor Michael Rama issued his “dawat limpyo” speech on the land swap that angered the governor into calling it off.
“Now, it’s my fault? You’ll let Alvin be the mayor? Kusug to take over? You bid all 93-1 urban poor lots) goodbye.That’s their agenda. That’s why they want to destroy the SRP,” the mayor said.
Posted on March 25, 2010
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