Rama to seek P-Noy audience on flyovers, treasurer woes

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama may not be attending  next Monday’s Regional Development Council (RDC) meeting in Tagbilaran City, Bohol, after all.

He said an invitation from  President Benigno Aquino III to Malacañang on the same day was  hard to pass up.

“I’m still torn between two angles and I can’t figure out which gathering to attend,” he said in yesterday’s press conference.

Rama was earlier bent on bringing up the  flyover controversy in the Nov. 28 RDC meeting.

He wanted to discuss the findings of a  Technical Working Group that recommends a moratorium on flyovers in Metro Cebu, a report which was voted down by the RDC Infrastructure Development Committee a day earlier.

Rama said he wants to push the withdrawal of the RDC’s  previous endorsements of  flyover projects in Cebu City.

But suddenly, with the President’s invitation to discuss “local concerns” about two proposed flyovers in Cebu City on the same day as the RDC meeting, Rama said he was undecided.

Rama said the president’s invitation showed  “he has manifested cognizance” of  local opposition to the flyover projects.

The mayor said he could designate someone else to lead the discussion in the RDC, where he is the chairman.

Rama said it would not look good for him to send a proxy to meet with President Aquino when the chief executive invited him to Malacañang.

Rama siad he also wanted to take the opportunity to bring up his request to replace Tessie Camarillo as city treasurer for loss  of trust and confidence.

His chief critic, Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district, said he will attend the RDC meeting on Nov. 28 to join the discussion on flyovers, which are projects he supports.

“If RDC chair Rama wants to make a fool of himself, that’s his business, but he should not drag down the entire RDC with him,” said Osmeña in a text message sent to Cebu Daily News.

Osmeña said the RDC would look funny if members agree to Rama’s plan to recall its endorsement of the flyover projects proposed in Cebu City, which the mayor signed as its chairman.

“He (Rama) claims that he did not know what he was signing.  This is the first time in history that a government official would claim that his signature is not valid because his hand was acting on its own, independent of his mind,” he said.

Rama said he didn’t know that the projects didn’t undergo proper study when he signed the RDC resolutions endorsing the flyovers.

On learning this, he asked the RDC’s Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) last September to review the projects.

The IDC created a technical working group for the review headed by engineer Jess Bigornia.

The findings and recommendation to urge the DPWH to suspend flyover projects and study “alternative solutions” to traffic in a comprehensive transport plan were vigorously objected to by flyover proponent Raul del Mar, former Cebu City congressman.

The committee the other day voted 6 to 16 against endorsing the TWG findings and recommendations to the RDC full council.

“To my disappointment, the IDC did not make any move on the TWG report… But I am thankful that they did not also reject it,” said Rama.

As RDC chairman, he said, it was his “discretion” to include the TWG report in the agenda of the RDC full council meeting next week.

Rama said Congressman Osmeña was not a regular member of the RDC and had  no  business joining the RDC discussion of the flyover projects.

He aid the former mayor was only an “observer” or guest in RDC meetings.

He said while he cannot recall any RDC resolution withdrawn in its recent history, there wasn’t anything wrong in doing so.

“Can I not revoke something even if it’s not in accordance with the law, nor discussed intelligently?” Rama said.