REP. Tomas Osmeña (Cebu City south district) is ready to fight the Cebu provincial government in court to make sure that a multi-faith cemetery at the Osmeña Shrine, which he promised when he was still Cebu City mayor, will push through.
Unlike Mayor Michael Rama, Osmeña said he was prepared to “plant his feet on the ground” to make sure that the cemetery project for the non-Catholics would be implemented.
“We will fight this out. I don’t like to think negative that we will look for a back up situation (in case the planned cemetery will not push through). Anyway they (non-Catholics) never had one before. It’s worth fighting for this,” Osmeña told Cebu Daily News.
He said that even if he transferred the proposed cemetery to another location, it would still be met with opposition by residents.
“Where ever you go, you will have the same problem (opposition). We just have to plant our feet (on the ground),” he said.
mayor’s responsibility
Gov. Gwen Garcia said in an earlier interview that she had the documents on the donation of the Osmeña Shrine to the city government reviewed to determine if there were violation on the terms of the donation.
Rama, for his part, said he was unaware that there was a condition in the donation that the property could not be used for purposes other than for public use.
“The mayor is no different from Pontius Pilate who use the law as an excuse for persecution,” said Osmeña.
Osmeña said it was supposed to be the responsibility of Rama as Mayor of Cebu City to also defend the rights of the religious minority like the 29 religions that would benefit from the proposed Osmeña Shrine cemetery.
“That is supposed to be his responsibility. Pero o lagi iya gi pasa tanan. Wala siya’y sala. He should be canonized like Don Vicente,” said Osmeña.
Osmeña added that Rama does not want to be accountable for anything.
“Wala siyay baruganan ba. He (Rama) just wanted to make sipsip with the Capitol because wala na siyay alliance with the city except for the recycled losers,” he said.
Rama earlier said that the city council should already make a stand on the Osmeña Shrine cemetery issue.
He said that the council could always recall the lot donation especially with the overwhelming opposition of nearby residents.
RESIDENTS’ CONCERNS
Osmeña said he was also considering the concerns of nearby residents.
To pacify fears of water contamination and health hazards, Osmeña said that the Shrine would only be used for columbaries – vaults with niches for urns containing ashes of the dead.
Osmeña said that although used as a columbary, Osmeña Shrine would remain the park that it is now.
“Nangita lang gyud ang kapitolyo ug pa-agi para maka bawi sila og yuta. Simple kaayo. (The Capitol is looking for a way to get back the property.) Plus a political bonus,” he said.
But he was prepared to fight the provincial government even in court.
“We will meet them in court. I want to see those bright lawyers at the Capitol convince the judge that a memorial park is not a park. Gwen is simply anti-Protestant, anti-INC, anti-Aglipay, anti-Baptist, anti-Muslim, etc. None of these 29 religions have been able to have their own sacred grounds since we became a city 50 years ago,” he said.
Also, Osmeña said that he was allocating funds to improve access roads leading to the Osmeña park. /Correspondent Edison A. Delos Angeles