City Council okays monthly senior citizen aid; Rama prepares veto, legal action
THE Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) dominated City Council yesterday amended the 2013 budget ordinance to pave way for the monthly distribution of the senior citizen’s cash assistance.
And Mayor Michael Rama is not just preparing a veto, but also legal action against the City Council for usurpation of authority.
“I do not even consider the approved ordinance as existing… Let them do what they want to do and I will do what I want to do,” he said.
By a vote of 14-3, the City Council approved the amendment to the 2013 budget ordinance which scheduled a bi-annual release of the P10,000 cash aid senior citizens get from City Hall.
The ordinance authored by Councilors Augustus Pe Jr. and Rodrigo Abellanosa fixed the release of the aid to senior citizens every first Monday of the month.
“Another na sad na nga veto,” Mayor Rama said.
Article continues after this advertisementRama added that he already consulted with his legal advisers on his plan to sue City Council members for usurping his function as mayor.
Article continues after this advertisement“Ako lang na ug tingbon ug kiha tana kay mura ug dili na gyud na sakto ang ila. Sila na ang mayor? Ako na ang konseho?” Rama rhetorically asked.
(I’ll just charge them altogether because what they are doing is not right. Are they already the mayor? Am I now the council?)
But when asked if he would also include his allies in the city – Councilors Edgar Labella, Jose Daluz III and Eduardo Rama Jr. – in the charge, Rama replied, “depende nako kay ako man ang mo kiha.”
(It depends, I am the one who will sue.)
Unfazed by the passage of the ordinance, Rama said he would push through with the distribution of the cash assistance on March 26 and 27.
Senior citizen residents in the city are set to get P4,000 installation of their P10,000 annual allocation by then.
During the plenary debates on the amendment of the 2013 budget ordinance, Rama’s ally Councilor Joey Daluz argued that changes in the budget ordinance would always require endorsement from the local chief executive.
“Since there is no endorsement from the executive, it is not prudent for us to pass the ordinance,” said Daluz who added that the City Council is not in the position to fix the date for the disbursement of City Hall funds.
“It will be reckless for this council to approve this ordinance fixing the date of the distribution and if the funds are not available (during the said schedule) we will be violating the ordinance,” he added.
Daluz said that monthly releases of senior citizen assistance “cannot be done and is impossible.”
Labella, another Rama ally for his part told the council that fixing the date for the distribution of the senior citizen assistance is no longer the task of the local legislative body but a task of the Senior Citizen’s Council.
He also called the City Council’s attention on the possible violation of election laws on the disbursement of City Hall funds if senior citizen assistance is distributed on April 1 and May 7 respectively which falls within the election period.
Shortly after the session started, Daluz reminded his colleagues of his pending ordinance which also seeks the quarterly release of senior citizen assistance.
While he submitted his draft ordinance ahead that of Pe and Abellanosa, it was only yesterday when Councilor Sisinio Andales, head of the laws committee, rendered his report on Daluz’ proposed measure.
After Andales report, Daluz asked the council what will now happen to his pending proposal?
Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young told Daluz to just “argue” his draft measure during the final deliberation of Pe and Abellanosa’s ordinance which he did.
To put an end to the discussion, Andales called for a division of the house where 14 BOPK allies voted for the passage of the ordinance fixing the monthly distribution of senior citizen assistance while three Team Rama allies voted against it.
Daluz said that if Rama wins his re-election, he could push with the distribution of senior citizen assistance during its June, September and December schedules.
