Cebu mayor questions lawmaker

CEBU CITY –- Mayor Michael Rama described as “an act of treason” Representative Tomas Osmeña’s decision to divert the P400-million savings from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) outside of the city.

As the representative of the city’s south district constituents, Osmeña should focus his PDAF on the city, Rama said.
“It’s an expensive political gimmickry. It can even be considered as an act of treason because those funds were intended for Cebu City,” the mayor said.

Sought for comment, Osmeña again explained he decided to give his congressional funds to Representative Eduardo Gullas (Cebu Province, 1st district) because Rama is blocking his projects, including those of his allies.

Gullas announced last Saturday that Osmeña has agreed to yield the P400 million in favor of the road-widening project from the City of Naga to Sibonga town, which is ongoing.

“Who was the one who turned down the projects? He (Rama) is such a waste to Cebu City and to me. He is a waste of time. So I gave it to Cebu Province where he can’t say no,” he said.

But another possible reading is that

Osmeña wants to ensure Gullas’s support for the Liberal Party’s candidate for governor in 2013, former Cebu City councilor Hilario “Junjun” Davide III.

Osmeña enumerated the projects that he claimed were opposed by the mayor.

The congressman said these include the P2-million grant that was suppose

d to be given by Senator Serge Osmeña III, his brother, to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

Serge withdrew the financial aid and transferred it to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) because Rama allegedly refused to sign the memorandum of agreement for the grant.

While CCMC is operated by the City Government, the VSMMC in Cebu City remains under the Department of Health.

Osmeña also recalled Rama’s opposition to the two flyovers that Representative Rachel Del Mar (Cebu City, north district) proposed, the flyover he proposed in Barangay Lahug, as well as his P300 million worth of road concreting projects in the south district.

“Rama is just being consistent (in opposing projects),” the congressman said.

Osmeña and Rama, who were political allies for at least six terms, are expected to face off in the 2013 mayoral elections. (PDF of Sun.Star Cebu)