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Thursday, March 16, 2006
GMA has final say on holidays: mayor
Although he insists on his proposal to declare non-working holidays in December, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he will comply with whatever decision the President makes.
There is no word yet from President Arroyo regarding the proposed holidays in time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit.
Osmeña had planned to prod the President to announce with finality during her visit here last Tuesday whether there will be a holiday or not.
“I was not able to discuss the holiday with the President, the time was not appropriate... I will just abide by whatever decision she will make,” the mayor told a news conference yesterday.
He said, though, that he was able to take up the matter with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Government Media Group Head Cerge Remonde.
Possible
In an interview last Thursday, Asean national organizing committee Secretary General Marciano Paynor said that while the holiday is farthest from their mind at this time, it does not mean it is not possible.
Other countries that have previously hosted the Asean and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit have also declared holidays for the event, he said.
Osmeña joined Arroyo during the Cebu Dialogue on Regional Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, Development and Human Dignity at the Shangri-la’s Mactan Island Resort yesterday morning.
He also sat next to Arroyo during the full Cabinet meeting at the Malacañang sa Sugbo yesterday afternoon, but he did not get the chance to discuss the holidays with her.
Osmeña insisted on declaring a holiday in Cebu City from Dec. 11 to 14 to encourage the public to leave the city for a vacation during the summit.
Disappointment
This will help make traffic and peace and order more manageable, he said.
“Right now, we can’t even detect kidnapping here in Cebu,” the mayor said.
He expressed his disappointment with some businessmen who opposed his proposal, saying they have selfish reasons and only want to protect their own interests. (LCR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (March 16, 2006 issue)
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