Tommy’s political masterstroke

To override Mayor Osmeña’s veto on the said items in the budget, the majority bloc needed 12 votes.

Call it a masterstroke by an old hand in politics. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s veto of three items in the city’s P7.2 billion budget for 2017 was considered approved because the majority bloc in the city council failed to override it.

To override Mayor Osmeña’s veto on the said items in the budget, the majority bloc needed 12 votes. But only nine councilors voted for its override while six BOPK councilors and one independent councilor voted against it.

Team Rama Councilors Joey Daluz, Philip Zafra, Jun Alcover, Gerry Guardo, Raymond Garcia, James Cuenco, Joel Garganera, Joy Pesquera and Edu Rama voted for the override. Councilors Margot Osmeña, Mary Ann delos Santos, Bebs Andales, Eugenio Gabuya, Joy Young, Alvin Arcilla and Hanz Abella voted against the override.

Councilor Dave Tumulak was ostensibly absent in the other day’s session. Councilors Tumulak and Abella were formerly Team Rama members. They turned “independent” in July last year.

As independent councilors, Tumulak and Abella have all the leeway or best option where to side during the voting on a particular measure in the city council. But some critics say they are “independents for the BOPK,” whatever that is!

The three items that the majority bloc inserted in the 2017 budget that Mayor Osmeña vetoed were: 1) hiring of job order personnel ( JOs); 2) release of allowances to barangay workers; and 3) release of allowances to barangay Health workers (BHWs).

Before leaving for Japan for a Christmas vacation, Mayor Osmeña said the three items that the major- ity bloc included in the budget were irregular and beyond the powers and duties of the city council.

As a seasoned politico, Mayor Osmeña saw those items as tools for elections or reelections of the budget proponents. So why provide his political enemies with bullets? The next elections are only more than two years away.

The BOPK councilors fell deaf to the pleas and arguments of Councilor Daluz, who wants to override the vetoed items by citing Section 77 of the Local Government Code. If overridden by the city council, the vetoed items are reinstated and approved.

But Mayor Mayor Osmeña knew beforehand that an override on his line veto would never happen because the majority the bloc can’t get the needed 12 votes even if independent Councilors Abella and Tumulak would vote for its override. There would only be 11 votes.

It would seem that the Team Rama councilors have nothing under their sleeves to thwart whatever the city mayor wants. As has been said before “whatever Tommy wants, Tommy gets.” This is somehow still true even if BOPK councilors are the minority.

We Catholics celebrate the feast of the Holy Child on Sunday. The Sinulog street dance competition complements the celebration. We hope and pray that Sunday’s celebration would be peaceful and orderly.

During the festivity, former Visayanian staffers also hold its yearly reunion. Atty. Eddie Barrita, perpetual president of the V-Staffers, is calling on the members and their guests to attend the reunilunch tomorrow at Ecotech, Lahug. See you there!