The Subangdaku slaughterhouse has become the flashpoint of a word war between Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes.
If former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña is to be asked why the abattoir has become a powder keg that virtually exploded, blame should be pinned on his successor for lighting up the fuse.
“This should serve as a lesson for Mr. Rama to shut his mouth up and stop pushing people around,” he told Cebu Daily News.
Tomas said the slaughterhouse was never subject of any tax claims in previous years and was allowed to continue operation because of the peaceful co-existence between the two neighbors.
“Mandaue ignored it through the years until Mr. Rama started to lecture Mandaue why they have not removed the foot bridges (that connects to Cebu City’s side of the creek) and Jonas got angry,” Tomas said.
Construction of the city slaughterhouse was started in 1987 when now Toledo City Mayor John “Sonny” Osmeña was OIC Mayor of Cebu City.
His cousin, Tomas said, would have wanted the slaughterhouse built in barangay Basak in the south district in a property owned by former city mayor Vicente del Rosario. The project was already awarded to a private contractor, but it was later cancelled.
Sonny later had the slaughterhouse project moved to its present location beside the Mahiga Creek “thinking that the lot belonged to the city”, Tomas said.
Mayor Jose “Boy” Cuenco who assumed the mayoral seat in 1987 when Sonny ran for the Senate continued with the project.
“I just finished it and made it operational when I became mayor in 1988,” he told CDN.
Tomas said that the slaughterhouse was subject of an eviction case filed by Mandaue City officials during the administration of Mayor Alfredo “Pedong” Ouano.
The judge ruled on Mandaue’s favor, saying that the Subangdaku property belongs to Mandaue City as the court designated the Mahiga Creek as the boundary betwen the two cities.
“But Mandaue never really insisted on having the lot because there was no friction then. There were so many other major issues that we had to work on. It happened only now when Mike Rama is treating Mandaue like a barangay in Cebu City,” said Tomas.
Tomas admitted having talked to Mayor Cortes on the Mahiga creek issue but he did not elaborate.
Tomas helped Cortes take City Hall in 2007.
Tomas however denied having any hand in the brewing dispute between mayors Cortes and Rama.
“My understanding is that Mr. Rama thinks that Jonas is one of his subordinates. You do not talk to your fellow mayor like that,” he said.
Mayor Rama is in Hong Kong and could not be reached for comment.
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