OSMEÑA
TOLEDO City Mayor John Henry Osmeña told the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) in no uncertain terms that his administration wants to take over management of the city port.
Osmeña told Cebu Daily News that he wrote the CPA two weeks ago to notify them that the Toledo City government will manage the city port.
“Dili ko interesado kay mahimo manang balibaran. (I’m not just interested to take over the port because they can refuse it.) I am firmly determined to take over the port. Mangita gyud og away (I will fight for it),” Osmeña said.
Osmeña said the city owns the port since it paid for its construction during the time of former mayor Marcelo Barba.
He said since the city owns the port, CPA has no right to take it over.
The mayor reiterated that the authority, operational and administrative control, supervision and management of the port should be with Toledo City.
Osmeña said he has yet to receive a written response from the CPA on his letter.
“They did extend to me the courtesy of a written communication. Gipadad-an ra kog pulong nga makig-esturya nako. Dili ko bibingka sa Carbon nga esturyahan ra (They just send me words that they want to talk to me. I’m not like a bibingka in Carbon Market that can be talk about.) I am demanding that they answer me in writing,” Osmeña said.
He said if the CPA refused to answer him, then he will file a complaint at the Ombudsman-Visayas.
CPA General Manager Edmund Tan said in a text message to Cebu Daily News that Osmeña cannot take over the port.
“No, he cannot do that. We already (replied to) his letter telling him that by law, we own the Toledo port,” Tan said.
The Toledo City port covers 3,065 square meters and is a commercially operated facility by the CPA.
The port caters to Ro-Ro, cargo and passenger vessels from San Carlos City in Negros Occidental and vice versa daily.