“There shouldn’t be any monopoly as to who will decide what’s good for Cebu City.”
This was stressed by Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgar Labella following a series of criticisms from Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña on the council’s decision to scrap the P18-billion joint venture agreement (JVA) on developing the eight-hectare Kawit Property in South Road Properties (SRP).
“We recognize that the intention of the JVA is good. However, we find that the agreement is grossly disadvantageous to the city and prejudicial to the interests of the people of Cebu City. May the Honorable Mayor be reminded that we are elected to maintain check and balances in running the affairs of the city. He does not have the monopoly of knowledge in identifying what is good for the city,” said Labella on his official Facebook page.
During a special session last Friday, Labella, who sits as the council’s presiding officer, voted against the JVA to break the 8-8 tie in the council.
Labella, a member of the opposition’s Barug Team Rama party, concurred with the opposition councilors’ skepticism towards the sharing scheme between the Cebu City Government and the proponent, the Gokongwei-led Universal Hotels and Resorts Inc. (UHRI)
But Osmeña slammed Labella’s statements and claimed that Team Rama’s decision was politically motivated.
“After we agreed to all the ad-hoc committee’s recommendations, Team Rama members of the committee STILL VOTED AGAINST the revised agreement. They in essence voted against their own recommendations. You are a liar and a coward, and the people of Cebu have to suffer because of your politics, the politics of destroying what others build because you can build nothing yourself,” Osmeña said in a post on his Facebook page.
Last March, the council formed a five-member ad-hoc committee to scrutinize the deal.