Friday, March 28, 2008 Tomas questions best LGU citation for Cebu Province
WHAT does a citation for being one of the best local government units (LGU) in terms of investments mean when the Capitol can’t protect investors from fires?
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña asked this question yesterday after learning about the extent of the damage to the Oslob parish church and the lack of firefighting equipment there.
“They’re one of the best for investment opportunities but they can’t protect their church from burning down. Who will put investments there if masunog lang? And people have to push the firetrucks pa?” the mayor asked during his news conference.
“They can’t even protect their cultural heritage, what more the investors?” he continued.
When the Capitol protects its investors, Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda retorted, that includes protecting stakeholders from Osmeña.
Sepulveda, the Capitol’s consultant on information, cited the creation of the Provincial Heritage Council as one sign that the Province makes sure everything is in place to protect its investors.
Asked for her comment, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said, “I feel that Msgr. (Achilles) Dakay is more worthy of my comment and explanation.”
Dakay has said that the fire that razed Oslob church on Wednesday should serve as a wake-up call for the government.
Osmeña said he wondered what criteria the Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) used when it chose Cebu Province as one of the best LGUs in the country in terms of investment opportunities and promotion, along with the cities of San Fernando in Pampanga, Tagaytay and Iloilo.
“Sometimes the criteria used are not in the real world... It’s all conceptual, that’s why I don’t participate in those contests,” the mayor added.
For over a year now, relations between the City and Province have been strained. A proposal to swap prime property for Province-owned lots occupied by Cebu City constituents has collapsed, the Capitol has asserted its ownership of prime landholdings such as Fuente Osmeña, and the City has blocked development in an area that includes a joint venture between the Capitol and a private developer. (LCR/With GMD)
