MANTRA. Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña agrees with Mayor Michael Rama about “working together.” After she said that and was asked if she meant “together you could make things happen,” she quickly said, “No, I don’t say that.”
Apparently, BOPK’s Margot, wife of Team Rama’s arch-rival Tomas, didn’t want to fully agree with Mayor Mike’s mantra, which is “Together, we can make things happen.”
(The same saying became useful to Mike when, linked by rumor to a former high government official, denied it, saying in effect, “We were together but nothing happened.” Public officials, including Margot, apparently love to push togetherness. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza’s version: “Together, we will get there.”)
MARGOT’S “RR.” Mayor Mike has his “RL,” for “rule of law” and “Rama Labella.” Councilor Margot didn’t give an acronym but “RR” may stand for “realistic and reasonable” that she believes the Cebu City budget for 2015 must be.
Based on “RR,” would the proposed P18.9-billion (!) budget for next year be realistic (can it be adequately funded and implemented) and reasonable (can it meet the city’s requirements)?
“EXPLAIN, DON’T DEFEND.” Margot doesn’t favor the word “defend” when applied to City Hall department heads answering questions of councilors about their budget proposals. It sounds confrontational and adversarial: they need only to explain, she says.
Councilor Margot answered on the phone questions from lawyers Frank Malilong and Elias Espinoza in yesterday’s “Frankahay Ta” (dyCM, 7-8 a.m).
Councilors gagged on hospital bidding?
A former councilor, Joey Daluz, doesn’t call it a gag but admits that he and Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos were asked by Mayor Rama not to talk with the press about the bidding for the new Cebu City hospital. Not because the mayor wants to hide anything but because their work at the bidding committee, with that of other members, is merely recommendatory and the process was not yet completed.
In sum, it means, don’t tell the public yet until the final decision is made, which means until the mayor makes up his mind.
What Mary Ann told the press was that one contractor was disqualified. Apparently, the mayor didn’t want that contractor taken out of the picture as of this time.
Speak out on projects
Do-gooders who have something to say about the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and Rep. Raul delMar’s proposed subway tunnel transit network should speak out as soon as broad outlines of the plans are available.
Not when the project, which takes a long, long time to gestate, is ready to start, as they did about those flyovers. Unused funds usually go back to the treasury and aren’t used for other local projects. Yet we complain loudly against getting pittance from the central government.
[bzzzzz@sunstar.com.ph or paseares@gmail.com]