Saturday, February 24, 2007 Nalzaro: Bypassing the mayor By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
MAYOR Tomas Osmeña rejected my unsolicited suggestion to swap a portion of the South Road Properties (SRP) with province-owned lots subject to Ordinance 93-1 so occupants there won’t be evicted. “It's not feasible because we don't want a hostile tenant at the SRP,” he said.
What he actually means is he does not want a competitor in the disposition of SRP lots. But what can we do? It's his call being the city's chief executive. I initially thought he is open to sacrifices just to protect his constituents that are being threatened with eviction. Can we now say he is not really sincere in his intentions? Nga pakitang tao lang nang iya?
But even if Tomas succeeds in pressuring Capitol to agree to a land swap under his terms and conditions, there is still no guarantee that the occupants, including those who have fully paid their obligations and have acquired the rights to the lots, will stay there forever.
It would be good to remind the lot occupants that Tomas, their hero and protector, will not be in City Hall forever. What if the next mayor will dispose those lots to private companies? They will still be displaced.
Proof that temperaments of government officials vary is what happened years after the lot occupants availed of the land ownership program under Ordinance 93-1 during the administration of then governor Vicente “Tingting” de la Serna. Did the residents ever imagine then that a governor like Gwen Garcia will work to recover the lots?
The latest report is that Capitol has decided to negotiate directly with the lot occupants instead of going through City Hall. Which is good because hopefully, the right procedure will be followed, which is to give relocation sites to residents who will be uprooted.
Nganong ipaagi pa man sa City Hall diin naay tawo nga magpahero-hero unya dili diay tinud-anay nga motabang? Tomas is projecting himself as champion of the masses when he is not. How many urban poor structures have he ordered demolished in his stint as mayor?
The value of the lots affected by Ordinance 93-1 is pegged at P3 billion based on current assessments. So even if Capitol will spend P1 billion for the relocation of affected residents, it can still gain P2 billion.
I would remind the honorable mayor of the saying that beggars can’t be choosers. If you are the one in need, you should swallow your pride. Mayor Tom, don't be arrogant because in this situation you are the one in need.
