Urban poor urged: Help in city’s fight vs drugs

Mayor Tomas Osmeña appeals to the members of the urban poor in Cebu City to help the city’s campaign to eliminate the drug menace in his State of the Urban Poor Address at the City Hall.

STATE OF URBAN POOR ADDRESS

At least 500 members of the urban poor sector were encouraged to help the Cebu City government in its fight against illegal drugs.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who made his State of the Urban Poor Address (SUPA) yesterday, appealed to the urban poor sector to help the city government in this endeavor.

“I am asking help (from you) on the illegal drugs. To be frank, dili galihok ang mga tanod sa drugas (the barangay tanods are not doing anything against drugs). That’s the truth. I saw the reports – there are barangay tanods but there was no arrest (made within their jurisdiction),” stated Osmeña.

In turn, he requested the more than 500 members of the urban poor in Cebu City present during his SUPA to report to him any information on the illegal drug trade through his mobile phone.

“Hangyo ko lang ninyo (I ask you a favor). Report it to me. I have my cellphone number on my Facebook page. Just text them to me directly,” he said.
The mayor added that he will allow identities of senders to be classified as confidential.

Aside from that, he also encouraged the urban poor members to report to his office anybody who would use his name or the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan to solicit money from vendors around Cebu City.

Aside from his appeals, he also promised the urban poor community that he would work to repeal the fines of motorcycle-for-hire drivers and instead let them have a six-hour seminar on traffic rules and regulations as a penalty instead.

“Our enforcers from CITOM (now, Cebu City Transportation Office) are complaining because people are not respecting them. OK. Violators will not face any fines, but they will undergo six hours of seminar. I don’t want to get money from the poor. I just want him (the violator) to be in the six-hour seminar so he will learn,” he said.

He also reiterated his promise to develop a certain lot in the South Road Properties into a hub for companies engaged in business process outsourcing, which would employ 200,000 call center agents in the southern district of Cebu City.

Aside from the SUPA and his promises, certificates of title of 93-1 were also distributed to some of the 93-1 beneficiaries, who were present at the activity.