Political casualties

The proposed development on Kawit Island in Cebu City’s South Road Properties hits another snag after the opposition in the City Council wanted some amendments to the joint venture agreement that City Hall intends to enter into with a big-time developer.

Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia of Barug PDP-Laban said the city government should consider amending some provisions in the agreement before the city can invite other investors for a Swiss Challenge.

As expected, Mayor Tomas Osmeña accused the opposition of playing politics. He said its members are just looking for mistakes to delay the multi-billion project, a mixeduse development seen to generate billions in revenue for the city and thousands of jobs for its residents.

In a local government unit like Cebu City where politics dominates its day-to-day operations, projects and programs are always the first casualties, only compromising the delivery of basic services to the people.

We all know that the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan and the opposition have long been throwing mud at each other. Because of their political confrontations, several development projects are delayed. Some are even cancelled, becoming victims of their constant bickering.

Few years ago, the previous administration sold some portions of the SRP to several of the country’s major developers. But when Osmeña took the reign at the City Hall, he and his allies scrapped the deal, contending that its approval was disadvantageous to the city.

If that deal had pushed through, thousands of city inhabitants could have started benefitting from it as construction of the massive development at the south reclamation area would have been in full swing by now.

Now, with the delay of the approval of the Kawit Island project, many fear the city might lose another big-ticket development as another round of political encounter heats up between Osmeña and the opposition.