Look who’s talking
It’s like in the sale of the South Road Properties (SRP) lots. If it is his deal, everything is aboveboard. But if it’s another person’s deal, it’s anomalous
The “former political has-been” filed administrative and criminal complaints against former mayor Michael Rama before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas over the latter’s questionable disbursement of P800 million financial assistance to the barangays in 2015 without authority from the City Council. Some legal luminaries asked why include an administrative case when Rama is no longer holding any government position? The penalty for an administrative case is either suspension or dismissal from service.
Sources said the “former political has-been” filed an administrative complaint because he wants Rama’s benefits from his government service to be withheld. But Rama is unfazed, saying the move is political harassment. Rama, a lawyer, claimed he followed legal procedures in disbursing the money. And why file it only now when the alleged questionable disbursement happened three years ago, Mike asked.
The answer is very simple. Because it’s election season and he wants to paint a bad image of you in the minds of the Cebuanos. That is his usual style.
But you don’t have to worry, Mike, because, in the first place, the money did not go to your pocket. It was distributed to the barangays, although some barangay officials failed to liquidate the amount they received.
The “former political has-been” did the same when he was mayor in 2007 to 2010 and planned to run for the House of Representatives seat in the south district. He disbursed millions of pesos and poured these in the south district. He appointed former Guadalupe barangay captain Eugenio “Jingjing” Faelnar as his point man. Almost all of the infrastructure projects were cornered by Arante Construction, whose owner was his friend. I don’t know if those projects passed the Bids and Awards Committee.
Later, he quarreled with Faelnar and filed charges against him. Why? Maybe they quareled over “something” from those projects. Wala maayong pagkabahin? And did the barangay captains who were beneficiaries of the financial assistance properly liquidate the amount they received? I doubt.
It’s like in the sale of the South Road Properties (SRP) lots. If it is his deal, everything is aboveboard. But if it’s another person’s deal, it’s anomalous. He wants to rescind the contract between City Hall and the three major developers that bought lots at the SRP during Rama’s term claiming it was highly anomalous. Now he wants a settlement because he failed to rescind the contracts. Why go for settlement if it is true that the deal was disadvantageous to the interest of the city government?
As the elections near, Cebuanos should be vigilant by monitoring the moves of the “former political has-been,” especially in the disbursement of funds. He might use the taxpayers’ money for his political agenda. Like this giving of rice subsidy to Angkas and habal-habal drivers. Klaro man ni nga pamulitika ba. Gisakyan lang ang isyu gumikan kay naluoy siya sa mga drivers.
That is why some quarters want him suspended so he cannot use and abuse government resources during the campaign period. He did it before and I am sure he will do it again in next year’s elections. Maayo untag masuspenso gyud.
I found the timing of the filing (of the complaint) not only questionable but also politically-motivated. FORMER CEBU CITY MAYOR MICHAEL RAMA, ON THE FILING OF CRIMINAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINTS AGAINST HIM BY MAYOR TOMAS OSMEÑA