Allow me to wish everyone a prosperous New Year. I pray that as we say goodbye to 2016, 2017 will bring us new hope and a better life especially in our relationship with God and with mankind, that we all stay healthy and financially stable, and there’s world peace.
I know for a fact that there are many who are composing and writing their resolutions and hoping they can keep and realize it.
Considering my situation I only have a few New Year’s resolutions and one of them is good health. I aim to discipline myself on the food I eat by keeping it healthy and commit to exercise constantly to stay healthy.
I owe it to myself and my loved ones to stay healthy and be useful to our community and improve my relationship with God as I owe my life and the improvement of my health to Him and my relationship to my loved ones and the people around me.
I pray to God to be with us always, to guide us, free us from fear and anxiety and to protect us from danger, death and temptation. And finally to those I may have hurt I ask forgiveness.
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Cebu City Mayor Tommy Osmeña will have to go through a lot of procedure and legal challenges if he wants to make good on his vow to revoke the sale of the South Road Property (SRP) lots to Filinvest and to the consortium of SM and Ayala.
As mayor it is his right to rescind the sale if he wishes to, but one must remember that the sale of the SRP lots was approved by the Commission on Audit (COA) that pegged the selling price at P 20,000 per square meter and the lots were eventually sold at a higher price.
Secondly the sale went through a public bidding and former mayor Mike Rama did not influence the sale nor receive any commission from the sale. Mind you, Cebu City should be investment-friendly because it is good for the city and its people.
As a matter of fact we always strive to invite investment to Cebu and not drive them away.
The mayor may threaten the businesses in the city but he has to observe the Constitutional provision of due process of law, meaning he cannot just rescind the contract without a court ruling.
The mayor should also seek the council’s approval in rescinding the contract and need to go to court to have said contract rescinded. And the investors would also have their day in court to present their side through their lawyers.
Thus, simply put, it is not going to be easy to rescind the contract of sale that the city entered into with SM, Ayala and Filinvest because the sale was above board and went through public bidding that is preferred by COA as a mode to dispose by sale of public property.
I wish the good mayor good luck with his plans to rescind the contract of sale of the SRP lots.