ABC/Financial Building | Courtesy of Cebu City News
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) will stay where it is, next to the City Hall’s executive building and the Senior Citizen’s park.
This decision comes after Mayor Michael Rama of Cebu City canceled a memo that had ordered the OSCA to move to a different location. This change was made after he received a letter from OSCA head, Lawyer Homer Cabaral.
Rama mentioned during a segment on Sugboanon Channel, the City Hall’s media arm, on April 11, that he would investigate how he ended up signing the memo.
“Ako pa na i-check,” the mayor told Vilma Andales, the program’s host.
Rama said that he couldn’t recall signing the memo because he deals with a lot of paperwork daily at his office.
He added that many people at City Hall often pressure him to prioritize their documents for signing.
READ MORE: Cebu City OSCA: Senior citizens may claim financial assistance starting June 30
“Sus, kakita pa lang ka sa mga papel nga akong pinirmahan. Unya uban dali-dalion pako. Wala mo kabantay ana?” Rama said.
As the mayor, he finds it challenging to sign documents without reviewing them first.
“Gatoo mo saayon ra mamirma kung mayor ka? Dayun kung balibaran, masilo na,” Rama said.
His usual procedure is to review and have documents countersigned by authorized personnel before signing.
City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover Jr. learned about the memorandum from Cabaral and asked the mayor to reconsider the decision. Alcover noted that the proposed location for OSCA at the second floor of the City Hall satellite office might not be suitable for senior citizens.
OSCA’s head said that he was happy upon hearing the mayor’s decision.
“Nalipay mi nga naka-decide si Mayor nga gi-revoke ang memo kay pinangga baya niya ang mga senior citizens,” Carabal said as quoted from Cebu City News.
He explained that the April 2 memo cited the City Treasurer’s Office’s request to relocate OSCA to make way for the City Treasurer’s Office’s plans to use the space at the ground floor of the ABC Finance building. However, he was unsure about the City Treasurer’s Office’s intentions for the vacated space. | with reports from Cebu City News
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