THERE will neither be any offices nor vehicles to be issued to the councilors under Team Rama without Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s approval.
In his memorandum, Osmeña ordered all departments, including the Cebu City Council, to seek prior approval from his office before getting anything in City Hall, whether in the Executive or Legislative building.
“(I ordered it) because they think they owned the building. (Some of the councilors) want to take other offices; I said no,” Osmeña said.
He said Councilor Joy Pesquera tried to claim the office now occupied by the City’s Hospitalization and Medicine Program (CHAMP).
But Pesquera ended up occupying the office vacated by former councilor Nestor Archival before.
General Services Office (GSO) head Ronald Malacora said he received a letter from Pesquera informing him that she would use the office formerly occupied by Archival.
“It was just to inform me. That is why I told her (Pesquera) to inform the Office of the Mayor since there was an order to ask first for his approval,” Malacora said.
He said based on the law, all buildings and properties in City Hall are under the mayor’s office and are handled by the General Services Office.
Malacora said only Pesquera so far has informed him that she would use an office.
Sought for comment, Councilor Joel Garganera, who is identified with Team Rama, said it seemed like they were robbed of their rights to receive an office of their own.
“Amo man kaha ng office, then why do we ask permission? Mura man na og mangilog og duwaan (It’s supposed to be our office, why do we have to ask for permission? It’s like we’re fighting over toys). We didn’t have P2 million to renovate our offices and now we have to ask for offices,” he said.
Garganera referred to a proposed item in this year’s budget that allocated P2 million for the renovation of Mayor Osmeña’s office in the eighth floor, which the three-man Team Rama bloc in the council disapproved, saying it was not important.
Osmeña said the council should also remember that the legislative building does not belong to them.
“There’s an impression in their mind that the council owns the building. The mayor manages and allocates all City Hall properties. It’s very clear in the law. Just because it says janitor in the door doesn’t mean that the janitor owns that room,” Osmeña said.
Osmeña said he would not issue city-owned vehicles to Team Rama councilors but would give vehicles to six councilors aligned with Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK).
When asked why he won’t issue vehicles to Team Rama councilors, the mayor said he was just following the policy of his predecessor former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama who also did not issue any vehicle to the then BO-PK councilors.
“I’m just following the policy they established. They should not be surprised,” he said.
Osmeña said issuing cars to barangay officials allied with Team Rama would be done on a case-to-case basis.
Osmeña said the vehicles formerly issued to Team Rama councilors have been turned over to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
Two vehicles were issued to each of the city’s 11 police precincts on top of the 22 requested by Senior Supt. Benjamin Santos, Cebu City police chief, last month. /With UP Cebu Intern Patrick Byron G. Gattoc