Tuesday, April 24, 2007 Mary Ann signs Agenda, Tomas won’t
AFTER he shot down at least seven of the demands of the multi-sectoral groups, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña declined from signing the People’s Agenda, a document that his opponent Mary Ann delos Santos signed yesterday.
Delos Santos agreed to majority of the demands of the 10 different sectors, including the allocation of certain amounts for sector-specific programs and projects.
She said, though, that she will first have to check the availability of funds.
At the People’s Forum 2007, delos Santos assured the people of a principled leadership, good governance and transparency in government transactions if she is elected mayor.
Programs for the youth and children, she said, will be the “first order of the day,” as she promised the elderly, persons with disabilities (PWDs), migrant workers, fishermen, farmers, vendors, business and urban poor sectors that they will be consulted for their needs.
“Definitely we will support that but I will have to check the City’s coffers first to see if we have enough funds because as I said, the City is bleeding because of debt payments. If we have the money, then why not?” was delos Santos’ standard reply to requests for funding.
Although wary about the City’s financial situation, delos Santos signed “The People’s Agenda,” a multisectoral priority agenda for Cebu City mayoralty candidates.
Items in the agenda that required funding of a specific amount did not get Osmeña’s approval.
The mayor said he prefers a project-per-project approval of requests for funding, taking into consideration the possible return of investment of the project and the track record of the requesting party.
“No, because it should be on a case-to-case basis. I’m against the concept of allocating a fixed amount because you’re talking to a mayor, not a clerk. Allocations can’t be automatic,” he said, reacting to the urban poor sector’s demand for a P25-million annual allocation for land acquisition, housing and development of resettlement sites.
Demands
Other demands that Osmeña answered with an emphatic “no” is the clamor of the fishermen to recall the appointment of the new Bantay Dagat chief and the vendors’ request to create a committee composed of vendors, which will deal with their own concerns.
Committees, he said, only give room for red tape in government transactions.
He also disagreed with the children and youth sectors’ request to regulate youth organizations and fraternities and implement a curfew in the barangays.
Osmeña also did not agree with the business sectors’ call to promote competitiveness of local tax rates and services.
The mayor assured, though, that starting next year, the City Government will give financial assistance to all senior citizens in the city once or twice a year.
But when the multi-sectoral groups asked him to sign the agenda, Osmeña begged off.
“I’m sorry but it has to be rewritten because there are many points that I don’t agree with and I can’t sign it (as it is). Anyway, I think what’s important is not the signature but that you understand that I can give the service,” he told the groups.
Some 100 representatives from the 10 sectors attended the forum at the Eduardo Aboitiz Study Center yesterday. (LCR)
