Dads unaware of lot contract conditions – Rama

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama admitted yesterday that there was “oversight” by the previous city council which he headed when it authorized former mayor and now south district representative Tomas Osmeña to donate the Osmeña Shrine for a multi-faith cemetery.

Rama said the previous council was unaware of the conditions made by the provincial government when it donated the 4.2 hectare Osmeña Shrine to the city in 1965.

Also, Rama said he was unaware if consultation was made prior to the lot donation to the Evangelical Christian Coalition of Cebu Inc. (ECCCI).

“(But) if the (donation) contract has been violated, then it will have to go through legal review,” said Rama.

Critics of the proposed cemetery visited Capitol on Thursday to solicit the help of Gov. Gwen Garcia who in turn directed the provincial legal office to review the donation of the Osmeña Shrine to the city government.

Garcia said that several conditions of the donation were violated when former mayor Osmeña donated the 4.2 hectare lot a few days before the May 2010 election.

She said that the lot donation had a specific purpose.

Garcia showed a copy of the compromise agreement after a case was filed by then Gov. Rene Espina.

In the compromise agreement, there were specific purposes indicated for the six lots. Under the heading “Purpose”, the six lots were marked as “Osmeña Shrine.”

“I am glad that the matter has reached that point,” Rama said when sought for comment.

Rama added that since there is overwhelming opposition to the project “the government should listen.”

However, he would not categorically say what his stand on the proposed cemetery would be.

Instead, he is asking the city council to make a stand on the matter.

“The ballgame is now with the council,” he said.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young, for his part, said the matter on the proposed Osmeña Shrine cemetery would need executive intervention.

Since Rama was vice mayor when the authority to donate the property was passed, Young said he wanted to know the mayor’s stand on the issue.

“It is important for the council to know first the stand of the executive because he is the mayor. He is our mayor,” said Young.

Councilor Margot Osmeña said that there was also a need to determine which barangay the proposed cemetery belonged – whether it was barangay Kalunasan or Lahug.  Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac with a report from Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus