Margot in charge : Council won’t block mayor plans if…

Councilor Margot Osmeña, who was named the new chairperson of the Cebu City Council’s budget and finance committee yesterday, assured  that she would scrutinize and support projects and programs of Mayor Michael Rama’s administration as long as these are good for the city.

“We are not here to block because we have only one city. We raise questions but we are not here to block (his projects and programs),” said Osmeña.

She now heads two committees.  The other is the committee on tourism, arts and culture, which she has led  since last year.

She replaced Jose  Daluz, who now heads the agriculture committee.

These were the only main internal changes in  the council’s first anniversary session yesterday aside from changing the date of the weekly session from Friday to Wednesday morning.

Osmeña’s remarks  came amid the soured relationship between the City Council and Mayor Rama, after Rama left the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan last June 2.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, in an earlier interview,  had   compared advancing Osmeña to “putting a five-star general at the border when a neighboring country declares war.”

“It’s really a challenge,” said Councilor Osmeña, wife of former mayor Tomas Osmeña, of her additional role, “but I am encouraged by the support of my colleagues and even the executive department because I’ve gotten the support of the city treasurer.”

Mayor  Rama said he respected the council’s decision.

“They know better what they are doing… I respect the outcome.  Good luck,” he said.

Rama had earlier asked Councilor  Daluz not to give up his chairmanship of the  budget.

But Daluz said that since he was serving his third term,  he wanted the committee  to go to a  neophyte councilor whom he could help train until 2013.