OSMEÑA
STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS
Finding solutions to traffic congestion, garbage collection and improvement of tax collection were the highlights of the first State of the City Address (SOCA) of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña yesterday since his election last year.
“I understand that the garbage collection is one of the biggest issues for most Cebuanos. I would like to assure you that your government is doing the best it can with what it has,” Osmeña said.
However, the mayor said, at the moment, the city government does not have much to work with it.
He explained that there are two major capabilities to consider when discussing garbage: collection and disposal.
“At the moment, we are short on both. As regards to collection, we are severely lacking in trucks,” Osmeña said.
He claimed that the previous administration made “dubious purchases” of garbage trucks and “dubious arrangements” for garbage collection and disposal.
Osmeña said that former mayor Michael Rama purchased over a hundred million worth of Chinese garbage trucks.
But of the 52 trucks, Osmeña said only 18 trucks are in running condition.
To solve the current problem of garbage in the city, Osmeña said instead of buying new trucks to collect the garbage, the city will be switching to leasing garbage trucks, which would include the driver.
“This will eliminate plenty of corruption in the purchase, storage, and utilization of spare parts, as well as in the pilferage of fuel,” Osmeña said.
Osmeña also said that he will continue implementing the “Basura mo, sardinas ko” program despite the criticisms of his political enemies.
To solve traffic congestion in the city, Osmeña said that its high time for the city to have a mass transportation and infrastructure that help to decongest traffic like the underpass.
Osmeña highlighted the need to implement the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in the city as it was seen as feasible by the National Economic and Development Agency (NEDA).
Aside from mass transportation and the building of road infrastructure, Osmeña said that it is also high time to put “some teeth” to the city’s traffic enforcers.
“There is an ordinance waiting to be passed in the council that will give our enforcers the authority to confiscate driver’s licenses,” Osmeña said.
And for better tax collection, he said that he will continue to fight families of billionaires who are “cheating” the Cebuanos with regards to their taxes.