Despite the mayor’s bargain for a smaller area, the Cebu City Council has passed an ordinance designating 10.6 hectares in the South Road Properties (SRP) as a one-stop sports hub.
In an 11-3 vote, the City Council approved the ordinance authored by Councilors Eugenio Gabuya Jr., Mary Ann Delos Santos and Hanz Abella during their regular session last Wednesday.
According to Section 3 of the proposed ordinance, 10.6 hectares would be set aside for “a decent and an appropriate venue… to establish a stadium, gymnasium or sports area… (where) local and international sports competitions, games, tournaments, and trainings for variety of indoor and outdoor sports” can be accommodated.
Councilors Gerry Carillo, Noel Wenceslao and Phillip Zafra, failed to convince the other council members to let the mayor decide on how to appropriate and dispose the lots in SRP.
“I’m not against the idea since I am a sports enthusiast myself. But it might just be vetoed by the mayor since we are arrogating to ourselves the duty of the executive which is to manage, dispose and utilize city properties,” Carillo told the City Council.
“It’s like we’re limiting the right that solely belongs to the executive. We’re tying the hands of the mayor with this ordinance. It’s ultra vires (beyond powers) on our part,” he added.
But the others were not convinced.
Gabuya said the designated area is not even ten percent of the entire 300-hectare SRP. He added that the mayor can always veto the ordinance if he wants to.