Sunday, May 18, 2008 Tomas wants recla in Cordova: PJ
WHY is it that Mayor Tomas Osmeña wants to make Cordova, Cebu part of Cebu City, though the town is in another island?
Rep. Pablo John Garcia said it is because the mayor is personally interested in a reclamation project in Cordova.
Pablo John remembered that in the late 1990s, when Osmeña did not run for mayor, he told him about the reclamation plan.
The mayor, he said, met with a consortium of private companies led by the Lopez-owned Benpress Holdings that were interested in the project.
“So if the people of Cordova are under the illusion that Osmeña wants Cordova out of pure and unconditional love for them, I got news for you…. He’s interested in another reclamation project,” Pablo John told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
He recollected that the reclamation would cover about 400 hectares.
“He cannot deny that,” said the Cebu third district representative.
Pablo John said that Osmeña opened up with Rep. Pablo Garcia (Cebu, 2nd), who was Cebu governor then, about his plans.
Osmeña, he said, also talked about it in the presence of former Cordova mayor Arleigh Sitoy and Cebu City Planning and Development Officer Nigel Paul Villarette.
But Osmeña has not concealed such interest from the public.
In a press conference last April 21, he said that he has big plans for Cordova, but all of them will depend on whether or not City officials can find ways to annex the town.
The mayor proposed to make Cordova the home of a new airport, and to transfer the Cebu International Port there.
He also wants to reclaim the waters off Cordova to rival Dubai’s Palm Island, with its beaches and other tourism facilities.
Olympics
“I’d like to see a Formula 1 race circuit there and put golf courses in between. Cordova is the best place to hold the Olympics. Maybe we can’t afford it now but eventually, maybe we can,” Osmeña had said.
In the same interview yesterday, Pablo John clarified that he did not say that Cordova should not be lumped with Cebu City, which is “not a livable” place.
He said it was more of a legal issue.
Long, tedious
“I didn’t say that it (Cordova) shouldn’t, just that it (entails) a long and tedious process,” he said.
A plebiscite is needed to make Cordova part of Cebu City.
The statement elicited a reaction from Osmeña, who pointed out that the Garcia siblings are living in the city.
“Who is he to tell us not to live in Cebu City? He has no right criticizing us for living in the city because while he is the mayor of Cebu City, he does not own Cebu City,” Pablo John said.
‘Exile’
He said the Garcias already made the city their home even before Osmena came back to Cebu after his “exile” in the United States.
Also, Pablo John said the mayor has no right to criticize his brother Winston, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) president and general manager.
Osmeña earlier said that Winston cut off the pension of retirees.
“He cut off the pension of ghost or fraudulent pensioners found because of GSIS’ computerization program. This saved a lot of money for GSIS,” Pablo John said.
“Remember that GSIS is the number one government-owned and controlled corporation with P50 billion in profit. If (Osmeña) was running the GSIS, it will be P6 billion in debt,” he said.
He was alluding to the Cebu City Government’s foreign debt incurred in the reclamation for the 295-hectare South Road Properties.
He called the mayor paranoid in allegedly hinting that Winston is interested in running for Cebu City mayor.
“There is no plan…he is paranoid. All these talks are coming from their camp,” Pablo John said.
Osmeña the other day lambasted Winston for “putting words into my mouth and then…(commenting) on the words that he puts into my mouth” in accusing the mayor as wanting Winston to run in Cebu City. (JGA)
