Rama: Provincial government has no part in city’s tuob kits issue

Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama. | CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama clarified reports that the Cebu Provincial Government is involved in the issue surrounding the P2.5 million worth of tuob (steam inhalation) kits distributed to the city’s isolation centers.

It can be noted that the issue was already answered by the Cebu City government, saying that the kits were donated instead of purchased as the supplier was “kind” enough to do so.

Read: Cebu City: Tuob kits are donations, no public funds spent

Still, information online has linked the tuob kits controversy to Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who was known to encourage the practice as a preventive measure against the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The governor already denied this information and said that the Capitol would never buy tuob kits for its constituents as the materials used for the practice including basin, steamer, and blanket, can all be found out home.

Vice Mayor Rama also reminded the public that Cebu City is an independent highly urbanized city that is not under the Provincial Capitol, and any purchases done by the city government, if there is any, only need the approval of the Cebu City Council and Mayor Edgardo Labella.

“Kana nga matter (tuob kits), naa na sa city government wala na sa province,” said Rama.

(The matter is with the city government, not the provincial government.)

The Cebu City Legal Office in previous statements has already clarified that although the Bids and Awards and Committee (BAC) has prepared purchase papers for the tuob kits, it never reached the desk of Mayor Edgardo Labella because the supplier decided to donate the kits instead.

City Legal Officer Rey Gealon said there was no harm done in the distribution of tuob kits, which have totalled a P2.5 million worth of donation. /bmjo