Saturday, May 03, 2008 Nalzaro: Mayor Osmeña’s offer By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
MAYOR Tomas Osmeña offered a house and lot to SPO1 Meliton Agadier of the Carcar City Police Office to entice him to transfer to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). This after Agadier shot dead one of two robbers who held up a bank in Carcar last Monday. Agadier also received cash and a commendation from the mayor after he shot a robber during a jeepney holdup a year ago while visiting Cebu City.
There are two schools of thought on the offer. This will encourage policemen to be more dedicated to their task of running after criminals and protecting people’s lives and properties. Or this will prod law enforcers to commit human rights abuses just to be popular or get a reward. With it, even if a suspect is captured alive, policemen may shot him dead to get a reward.
On the other hand, this might also discourage other policemen who are as dedicated as Agadier but who were not given due recognition. There are so many unsung heroes in the police force whose good deeds have not been publicized.
Publicity counts. Do you think accomplishments of policemen who received awards from the PNP, civic clubs and non-government organizations would have been known without publicity?
Osmeña should not have made that offer to Agadier or made it public because it is demoralizing to other policemen, especially those in CCPO. Many policemen assigned in the city also killed criminals while on duty. Did the mayor offer a reward to them?
An observer told me the mayor's offer is funny. He said Tomas does not even have a house of his own. Who will pay for the house and lot that will be given to Agadier? Will the mayor get the money from his pocket or from City Hall's coffers? If he uses government's funds, will it pass auditing rules?
Well, that's none of our business. The mayor can ask his businessmen-friends, especially those with transactions in City Hall, to shoulder the expenses. He has done it before, a City Hall insider said.
The mayor reportedly does not ask commissions from firms implementing City Hall projects. He would allegedly only ask favor from his businessmen-friends if his political leaders and supporters and people close to his heart seek help. At least, he is not like another mayor that I know.
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The national government has approved the plan of Lapu-Lapu City to reclaim 400 hectares of the coast of Barangay Ibo and Buaya. Project cost is P10 billion. I don't know where the local government will get funding for this very ambitious project.
And what will they do with the reclaimed land? Lapu-Lapu City officials should consider the status of the reclamation areas of Cebu and Mandaue cities before they proceed with the plan.
Cebu City has the 300-hectare South Road Properties (SRP) funded by a loan package from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). The City Government is currently paying JBIC P1 million a day excluding interest payments. Mandaue’s reclamation project is a joint venture with FF Cruz Construction and Development Corp. It is also still to be fully developed.
What will be there in a Lapu-Lapu reclamation area that investors could not find at the SRP and the Mandaue reclamation area? I hope they are not only doing this for the commissions.
