Rama: Let public pressure City Council to approve P2.8-B budget

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama yesterday urged the public   to pressure the City Council to approve Supplemental Budget (SB) 1, which includes outlays to pay off the city’s foreign debt, release one-month incentives to city employees,  and  provide public services like garbage tipping fees.

Rama spoke at luncheon he called an “interactive forum with media leaders” at the City Sports Club attended by print and broadcast practitioners.

He said the council’s refusal to approve SB 1 may be repeated when  the 2016 annual budget is presented by his office.

“We are the government and we must be a part of the solution. No tyrant can ever reign if no slave will be around…We are the people. The 11 (Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan councilors) are not  the people, they are (only) part of the people,” Rama said.

Although the  court has cleared the use of the P8.3-billion down payment for South Road Properties (SRP) lots, it would still take a while before City Hall employees would receive their bonuses.

The Cebu City Council has twice deferred discussion on the budget, chich includes P70 million for the Productivity Enhancement Incentives of city employees.

SB FATE

City Hall department heads attended  the forum, which opened with an audio-visual presentation showing some of the city’s achievements.

It ended with the current stalemate over  SB1.

Mayor Rama reiterated that charges will be filed against the majority bloc of the city council if they continue to sit on  SB1 and, possibly, the coming Annual Budget for next year.

He didn’t specify what kind of charges would be filed, though.

“This is a people’s cause. This is a people’s budget. And if numbers will be abused, and they continue to have that number being abused, then yes, legal means will come. How long will it take? If they continue to abuse numbers, even with the annual budget, there will be cases,” Rama said.

SRP ROADS

Filinvest Land Inc. recently wrote the mayor asking him to fulfill the city’s obligation to build roads and drainage lines  in their joint venture project site in SRP.

The developer said other investors as well were expecting City Hall to spend for improving facilities in SRP after the city received an P8.3-billion downpayment from FLI, SM Prime Holdings and Ayala Land Inc.  for purchasing two large reclaimed lots.

Rama said private developers  in SRP should fund the P2-million drainage  master plan study because the city government needs the funds to deliver other services.

HELP US

“You are the billionaires and you will benefit from this. There’s SM, Filinvest, Ayala. Let us sit down to discuss this. Help the city. It would be faster if the private sector comes in,” he said.

Rama recalled that  his office  proposed a P10 million budget for  master plans for SRP, upland, downtown, uptown, and coastal areas but the City Council slashed it to only P500,000.

City Engr. Jose Marie Poblete, at the forum,  letting the government handle the study would take longer and the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) doesn’t have the expertise  for this.

Another city official said   SRP proceeds would not be used to to improve Industrial Road 1 as well as Commercial Roads 1 and 2 at the 300-hectare reclamation area.

Work on these roads will be  financed out of the P10.6-billion Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) funds, not out of the SRP lot proceeds, said Cebu BRT project implementing office head Rafael Yap.

Sales proceeds from two  SRP lot are being eyed as the fund source for the  P2.8-billion SB 1 and the P4.5-billion 2015 Annual Budget.

The remaining amount, as well as the expected first installment payment from the winning SRP bidders next year, is also expected to partly fund the proposed 2016 Annual Budget.

But Yap earlier said development of the SRP roads has been included in the scope of infrastructure developments under the BRT project, considering the potential passenger demand from the reclaimed area.

The detailed engineering design study for the BRT is due to be finished by January next year. This will includeroad and drainage systems in the SRP.

“We hope to be able to bid out the projects to improve Commercial Roads 1 and 2 by next year. (As to when) it will still depend on the results of the ongoing Detailed Engineering Design (DED) study for the BRT,” Yap said.

Yesterday’s media forum, which lasted two hours, was attended by officers of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipines (KBP) Cebu City Chapter, radio commentators and announcers and reporters.

Rama was also asked about the benefits for Persons with Disabilities, updates on the third bridge, his diet and the state of the city’s traffic signalization system.

He and Team Rama candidates will file their COCs today after an 8 a.m. mass at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.