Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama sets out his policy direction during the Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday, July 3, 2023.| Photo screenshot from Cebu City PIO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The ongoing construction of the long-overdue Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), the delay in paying job-order employees at city hall, and the recurring issues of flooding, garbage, and graffiti are among the items on the agenda of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama’s policy direction.
The mayor bared his policy direction during a Thanksgiving dinner on Monday night, July 3, 2023, after his “People’s State of the City Address” on the same day at Plaza Sugbo grounds.
Speaking before city and barangay officials, foreign diplomats, and businessmen, Rama reiterated his vision for a clean and progressive “Singapore-like Cebu City.”
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He ordered the city’s police to continue to strictly impose the “anti-vandalism ordinance” in the city.
“The police will continue, and arrest should be a thing that I would like to implement,” he said.
The mayor also guaranteed that the long overdue Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), which is currently undergoing retrofitting, will be finished before his term ends in 2025.
“Up to the last drop of my blood, I guarantee CCMC will be finished and shed without money from the city government. We have a very strong private sector body, not only locally, but even internationally and nationally we will make it happen. The private sector, help your mayor. We will make it happen,” Rama said.
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The new CCMC building’s total construction expenditure as of November 2022 was P1,909,813,695.79.
The city government entered into a contract with four contractors to complete various phases of the construction of the new CCMC building since the work on it began in 2015. These four contractors are C.E. Padilla Construction, Inc., Chariz Construction, C.B. Garay Philwide Builders, and M.E. Sicat Construction Inc.
The mayor also addressed the issue of job order employees receiving their salaries later than anticipated, as he issued a warning to fire whoever is responsible for the delayed release of the salary.
“Delay of salary of job orders, that should be stopped. Otherwise, whoever is the cause, whoever is the person responsible, tender your resignation. I will terminate you.”
“If we need to reduce employees, then we must reduce to have efficiency and productivity, and effectiveness in government,” Mayor Rama added.
The city hall has not less than 3,000 job order employees as of February 2023.
Moreover, Rama ordered the city-hired contractor to perform seriously in addressing the garbage collection of the city. He ordered the contractor to innovate for the city’s “24/7 rubbish free campaign.”
He also ordered the Office of the Building Official, the Zoning Board, and the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) to continue the city’s recovery of sidewalk and setback and the implementation of no-building zone in high-risk areas, especially in the upland barangays.
/bmjo