Rama wants council’s help in resolving issues with Capitol

Work with me first before we part ways in 2013.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama made this appeal to his former allies in the City Council in his first State of the City Address (Soca) delivered at the Plaza Sugbu at past 3 p.m. yesterday.

At least 10,000 people, including city and provincial officials, City Hall employees, dignitaries, and ordinary residents listened to the mayor, who stood in an outdoor stage erected near the front steps of City Hall.

Rama urged city officials to focus on services first.

“If we remain divided, we will be divided. If we remain united, then we will be strong. Let us all focus on services. Come 2013, to each our own … but not now. What we need is work, work, work,” he said.

The mayor cited achievements of his year-old administration in an hour-long speech in Cebuano.

At several points, Rama would ask the crowd to applaud to acknowledge the contributions of city officials and private individuals.

Rama mentioned Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young and several councilors whom he thanked for their contributions in education and other city projects.

Political odds

Rama called on the council to support his administration in resolving issues with the Capitol such as lot ownership over province-owned lots in Ordinance 93-1, Fuente Osmeña Rotunda and the city zoo.

“Our governor is here,” he said citing the presence of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia in the front row.

“Why should we fight each other? We live only once in this world … I hope the council is ready to help. Am I right, Joy Young?” Rama said.

The vice mayor who sat in front of Rama with other city officials just smiled in response.

Relations between Rama and the council became strained, and almost hostile, over opposing stands on the fate of the Mahiga Creek settlers, whose shanties were demolished in May.

The gap grew when Rama declared on June 2 his exit from the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) led by Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district.

The congressman and his wife, Councilor Margot Osmeña, didn’t attend the Soca.

In his speech, Rama thanked Governor Garcia for opening the Larsian access road near Fuente Osmeña and asked the crowd to applaud her.

‘You are our boss’

Rama said Cebu City Hall and the Capitol are discussing the Fuente Osmeña ownership dispute.

“Let us all remember that this is called Fuente Osmeña, not Osmeña Fuente. This is not our Fuente,” Rama said, which drew laughter from the crowd.

The mayor said City Hall and the Capitol can work together on several mutual beneficially projects.

He mentioned the Osmeña Boulevard Beautification Program by the Beautiful Cebu Foundation led by businesswoman Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung, a close friend of Governor Garcia.

“Kamo ang amo. Kami ang sulogoon ninyo,” Rama told the crowd that echoed President Benigno Aquino III’s “Kayo ang Boss Ko (You are my boss)” inaugural speech last year.

Rama’s Soca wasn’t the first one held outside City Hall. His predecessor, former mayor Tomas Osmeña, held his Soca at the Cebu City Coliseum in 2008.

Yesterday, two wide video screens were set up with 13 tents near the Magellan’s Cross where snacks were distributed.

Kaoshiung buses and City Hall multicabs ferried in residents from barangays. Traffic from sealed off in Jakosalem Street, Burgos Street and a portion of M.C. Briones Street from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. to use the area for parking space for VIPs and the buses.

Less garbage and crime, new street lamps in first year

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama said his administration spent P400 million to asphalt and concrete roads.

He also cited accomplishments in health services, street lighting, crime reduction, garbage collection, and other basic services in his State of the City Address.

Enforcement of the “no segregation, no collection” policy has reduced the city’s garbage volume by 35 percent, he said.

Drainage improvement projects were pursued like dredging the Mahiga Creek and the Bulacao River.

In peace and order, Rama said crime went down by 31 percent in the past year.

About 2,000 bright white lamps were in stalled to replace incandescent street lamps.

The city government set up a Motor Cop Response Unit to patrol the streets.

With the help of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, new police precincts were built in barangays Parian, Mambaling and Pardo.

Renovations were also made in the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), the barangay Guba Satellite Hospital and the city’s 80 health centers, he said.

In terms of finance, Rama said the city government already collected P2.5 billion of the P4.5 billion target budget for this year.

He said P2.8 billion of the amount will be spent for social services and projects with the rest to be divided for the salaries of City Hall employees and city government operations.

In education, free college education is provided for 5,800 scholars with P100 million for school buildings and 84 classrooms.

With a private sector partner, a free Japanese language training program was made for nursing students of CCMC.

City of culture

As part of the new waste segregation police, 107 compost beds were set up at the Inayawan Sanitary landfill for vermi composting.

Rama also mentioned Cebu City’s recognition as Asia’s City of Culture award by the United Nations to highlight his administration’s efforts to preserve historical landmarks like Fort San Pedro and the Plaza Independencia.

In social services, Rama announced the release of the remaining half of an annual P4,000 incentive for senior citizens and a free medicines program.

Livelihood aid worth P10 million was also given to families displaced by clearing operations at the Mahiga Creek.

About P120 million was set aside this year to augment the P60 million outlay last year for barangay development.

In ending his speech, the mayor referred to his 18 years in government and how he would continue to be a builder in his 19th year of service.

Rama had to cut shor this speech when he noticed that people who were standing at the back were starting to leave.

He left about one and a half page of his nine-page SOCA unread.