Tom eyes case vs 3 dads

For voting against their own resolution on the proposed P18 billion Kawit development project, three opposition councilors of Cebu City will soon face charges.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he will file charges against Councilors Jose Daluz III, Renato “Junjun” Osmeña, Jr., and Raymond Alvin Garcia after they voted against the proposed resolution authorizing him to sign the Joint Venture Agreement with Universal Hotel and Resorts Inc.

“They submitted, filed a resolution to endorse it and presented to the council. They endorsed and approved it. Now, they will vote against it. That’s illegal,” the mayor told reporters.

Tomas, however, said his lawyers are still looking at what case will be filed against the three councilors.

Last May 11, the City Council, in a vote of 9-8, rejected the proposed integrated resort project on the city’s Kawit Island at South Road Properties. Before rejecting the resolution authorizing the mayor to sign the contract, Daluz, Junjun, and Garcia signed the committee report that the ad hoc committee crafted after scrutinizing the proposed project.

“We’re filing charges against Junjun Osmeña, and two others there. Why? Because you cannot vote against your own resolution. That’s what you endorsed to the City Council and then no we want to vote against it because the team decided to vote against it. That’s illegal,” the mayor said.

Tomas said it is illegal for the three councilors, who are members of the ad hoc committee, which reportedly endorsed the project, to vote against the resolution authorizing him to sign the contract with UHRI.

The mayor said the votes of Daluz, Junjun, and Garcia could have been invalidated and counted in favor of the resolution because they signed the committee report together with other ad hoc committee members, Councilors Margarita Osmeña and Sisinio Andales.

But the mayor said he will just wait until the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan will get the majority bloc in the City Council so that there will be no questions on the validity of the passage of the resolution.

The mayor said he was willing to consider all recommendations and suggestions made by the ad hoc committee to make the JVA beneficial to the city government.

Sought for comment, Garcia said he could not think of the legal basis of the mayor’s case that will be filed against him and his colleagues.

“As I’ve said, we never endorsed the resolution. We only commented and gave our observations on the contract. Essentially, once you approve a committee report, you are just approving and stating that you were part of the deliberation and you were part of the committee that gave the recommendations and the observations that you approved on that particular report,” he told reporters.

Garcia said signing the committee report and voting in favor of the resolution authorizing the mayor to sign the contract are two different things. He said the mayor should consult his lawyers before making pronouncements especially about the legality of the measures done at the City Council. Junjun, for his part, said a committee report is only a report which presents factual findings on a matter for the Council’s consideration.

“Whether or not I should vote against or support such committee report is a different story. Such committee report must not control or dictate my independence as member of the City Council,” he said in a text message to The FREEMAN.

The mayor already made pronouncements that he will revive the P18 billion proposed project in July once they have the majority in the City Council. This, as two exofficio members representing the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation and Association of Barangay Councils will start functioning noontime of June 30.

BOPK already secured one additional seat in the person of SKF President Jessica Resch. The ABC elections will be in July but the mayor is expected to also get the seat considering that majority of his allies won in the barangay elections.