Councilors to continue to act as deputy mayors

DESPITE the cases filed by Cebu City Councilor Pastor Jun Alcover against Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) councilors will still continue to be deputy mayors.

Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña told Cebu Daily News that there is nothing wrong about their being deputy mayors.

“Ang ako lang ba unsay illegal diha? (What is illegal in our being deputy mayors?) We aren’t given an authority to sign a document. It is still the mayor who will decide,” she said.

Mayor Osmeña just laughed at Alcover, saying he had no legal basis to question the appointments of BO-PK councilors as deputy mayors.

“Wa siya’y laing kalingawan kon dili mangita ug sala. Sa akong tan-aw, KSP (kulang sa pansin or wanting attention) lang na si Alcover (He has no other amusement but look for mistakes. As I see it, he just wants attention).” Osmeña said over radio DyLA.

The mayor explained that he did not violate any law by appointing his allies at the city council as deputy mayors because this appointment does not involve plantilla positions.

“It’s just a statement or declaration of my trust and confidence and there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t have trust and confidence in them (Team Rama councilors), sorry nalang si Alcover,” the mayor said.

Last Wednesday, Alcover filed four cases before the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas against Mayor Osmeña, one of these was his appointment of the six BO-PK councilors as deputy mayors.

Margot reiterated that even during the time of former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Alcover’s son, who was also a barangay captain at that time, was appointed deputy mayor by Rama.

“So when Rama did it, it’s okay, but when Tommy does it, it is wrong?” Margot said.

Margot added that as deputy mayors, they are just there to recommend and suggest actions to the mayor on certain issues specially those tackled during meetings that the mayor cannot attend because of tight schedules.