Treasurer Oliva: I’ll run for vice mayor

Acting Cebu City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva, who is set to be replaced again from her position, is planning to run in the next election.

Oliva said that she was eyeing a position of vice mayor or congressman.

Oliva claimed that she was a registered voter in the Cebu City’s northern district.

“If I should win, I can promise you that I will not accept my salary,” Oliva said.

“But I am willing to serve both districts and I am not going to settle for a position lower than a vice mayor,” she said.

“Maybe this is the time that I could be in the city for good and serve since I feel pity for the city, which has been deprived of developments,” she said.

Her statements came after the latest controversy about her being again replaced from her post after returning from it this January.

Oliva was earlier replaced by Assistant City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo after she was transferred to another post in July 2011.

Oliva said yesterday that she would willingly vacate her City Hall office after she would receive a copy of her transfer order signed by Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.

Purisima earlier wrote Mayor Michael Rama to inform him of Oliva’s transfer and replacement by Camarillo.

Purisima cited a pending investigation by the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (Rips) on Oliva’s alleged ill-gotten wealth as basis for her transfer.

A copy of Purisima’s letter was received at the office of the mayor last week.

Oliva, however, said yesterday that 2008 complaint against her was already dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman on Dec. 10 of the same year.

A motion for reconsideration filed by Rips was also denied in an Ombudsman order dated April 5, 2011.

Oliva said she was willing to run as an independent candidate especially since the vice mayor’s post in Mayor Rama’s slate and Tomas Osmeña’s camp were already filled up.

“Pwede man ko mag independent, ug pwede sad ko mudagan pagka congressman,” she said. “Bahala na ug mapilde ko basta naka padayag ko sa akong intention. Kung dili ko nila butaran, aw ila na nang sala,” Oliva said.

Rama confirmed Oliva’s plans and said that he had seriously discussed it with her.

“Everyone who wants to run has the right to run,” Rama said.

But Rama’s cousin Basak San Nicolas barangay captain George Rama downplayed Oliva’s plan.

He said Oliva was just taunting Tomas (Rep. Tomas Osmena), who earlier admitted having a hand in Oliva’s transfer.

Oliva also said that she was hurt of her transfer just because of a case filed against her that was dismissed by the Ombudsman.

She said that she would always make sure that she would protect the family name since her husband and daughter worked as bank managers, her son as acting city treasurer of Mandaue, and her 43-year stint in government service.

“Me and my family, we can be trusted with money,” she said.

Oliva also denied accusations by Rep. Osmeña that she bloated the city’s income to get council approval on the P11.8-billion budget proposed by Rama.
The council only approved a P5.2-billion budget this year.

Oliva said her love and loyalty to the city government was beyond question.

She wasn’t even paid from city coffers because she collected her salary from the Dumaguete city government, which was her mother unit.

The acting Cebu City treasurer said she gave the city government its P2.4 billion cash in bank.

She said the city was “bankrupt” when she was first appointed as city treasurer in 2001.

“I was able to fill the safe of the treasury… Mo hangyo lang ko sa atong mga politiko nga dili kita ang ipiton sa ilang away,” she said. /With Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac