CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama wants a “serious scrutiny” on the solo parents ordinance which the city council passed on May 7 to assess if it is “implementable”.
Rama yesterday directed his staff to secure a copy of the ordinance for his review before he leaves for the US.
“I still have to read the ordinance and see if this is implementable. Basin mag -approve ta ani unya this will only give us more problems than solving (the concerns of solo parents),” he said.
Rama is also asking for a copy of the position papers of his allies, Councilors Mary Ann Delos Santos and Nendell Hanz Abella, who both objected to the approval of the ordinance.
He also wants clarification on why Councilors James Anthony Cuenco, Noel Wenceslao and Eugenio Gabuya opted to abstain in the final voting.
Rama said that he also has to sit down with OIC City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas to make sure that the solo parents’ assistance of P5,000 per year would not overlap with other cash assistance that the city government is giving to the elderly or persons with disability.
Imbalance
The city government, Rama said, should set a limit on how allocation in the annual budget should be spent on dole outs to prevent “budgetary imbalance”.
“I have to study all these because I might be the one to take a position on this. We have to balance the whole thing,” he said.
Rama added that any city ordinance should be a solution to a certain concern and not become an irritant.
The solo parents ordinance allocates cash assistance of P5,000 to solo parents whose annual income is below P60,000 and has voted in the city for three consecutive elections.
Questionable requirement
Councilor Delos Santos said giving them livelihood opportunities is far better than giving them dole-outs. The lady councilor also questions the three consecutive elections requirement.
She said that a 17-year-old single mother, for example, can only avail of assistance when she reaches 27, the age at which she has voted in three elections.
The assistance which the minor may need during her pregnancy may no longer be needed when she reaches 27 since she may have already gotten married by then and found work.
Delos Santos also expressed concern over some unscrupulous individuals who may want to take advantage of the dole. This early, several individuals have already visited the Lahug barangay hall to inquire about the requirements for transfer of residency and registration so they could avail of the city’s dole-outs.