No more courtesy for Rama?

Where will the mayor of Cebu City deliver his State of the City Address now that the city council is not looking forward  to inviting him to their session?  Traditionally the SOCA  is done in the presence of the  council   because the mayor as  chief executive reports to the council his program of government and  budget proposal. The council, out of  parliamentary courtesy, provides the mayor the venue so members can  listen to the speech.

During the term of Tommy Osmeña as mayor, he delivered his SOCA  before the council. There were  times he skipped giving a speech, but the council never  refused him the courtesy of offering the venue.

Today is a different situation where you have a mayor who has left the dominant political camp  of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK), which counts all the councilors and vice mayor as members.

Mayor Michael  Rama hinted that he would will deliver his SOCA before the council as part of  tradition even as  Vice Mayor Joy Young rebuked him by saying that Rama should wait to be invited as the  council is  looking at writing off a tradition.

But why only now when you have a mayor who does not belong to the party? Can’t the mayor and the council observe parliamentary courtesy and be civil to one another. After all,  the 2013 local election is still far off and our elected leaders are serving the interest and welfare of the people of the city of Cebu.

Why is  the vice mayor  pushing  the mayor to the wall? Is  the vice mayor trying to   show his benefactor that he is the best person to run for mayor in the coming election against Rama and other aspirants, including  Tommy’s wife, Councilor  Margot Osmeña?

Funny how a  friendship between the two parties is thrown out  the window to serve the political interest of the party. If the City Council will refuse to  invite the mayor or boycotts the SOCA,  I think it would be best for Mayor  Rama to deliver his address directly to the people, who would  better appreciate it.

But of course many are hoping that the mayor and the council can still work together and be civil.

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The Philippine government is  asserting its claim over the Spratly Islands by seeking the help of the powerhouse United States as  China   flexes its muscles to claim ownership of the islands.

We have claimed the islands by virtue of its discovery by Filipino Tomas Cloma while China bases its ownership claim on  military might by establishing a military facility there.

Other countries claim  ownership as well  like Taiwan and Vietnam but for us Filipinos we are claiming it because it was discovered by a Filipino and is proximate to the territory of the Philippine mainland.

Why are so many countries claiming the Spratly Islands? Well,  it is believed to be rich in oil deposits so whoever ends up owning the area stands to benefit in terms of economic progress.

I think it is best that the dispute be  resolved diplomatically instead of using aggression.

The Philippines today can’t afford to go to war against China.  It would be lopsided fight with our country at  a  dismal disadvantage unless the US comes to our rescue.

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Who owns the 20 percent share  of the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB ) – Danding Cojuangco or the farmers? The Supreme Court finally settled the issue with a decision saying that the businessman owns  20 percent of the bank.

How could that affect another  SC ruling that the coconut levy is owned by the public because it was an exaction that was collected from  coconut farmers? If the share in  UCPB was bought from the proceeds of the coconut levy, is it not proper for the farmers to claim ownership over the 20  percent?  The  long drawn struggle of  coconut planters continues even if the president is Noy Aquino who happens to be a relative of Danding Cojuangco.