Solo parents in city to get P5T cash aid

SOLO parents in Cebu City can now look forward to receiving financial assistance from the City Hall.

Voting 9-4 with two abstentions, the City Council passed yesterday an ordinance granting P5,000 cash assistance annually to qualified solo parents.

The passage of the measure overrode Mayor Michael Rama’s veto on the measure.

The mayor had said the ordinance is an impractical legislation that may not fully address the needs of solo parents. He also said it may be perceived by some as an encouragement for the youth to engage in premarital sex.

In overriding the mayor’s veto, the council said the veto had lapsed the 10-day period mandated under the Local Government Code, which provides that the local chief executive has 10 days to enact his veto power, otherwise the ordinance will be deemed approved even without the signature of the mayor.

The solo parents ordinance, authored by Councilor Gerardo Carillo, was approved last May 7 and was received by the Office of the Mayor last May 14. However, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, then the acting mayor, inhibited himself from signing the ordinance.

Citing propriety, transparency and ethics, Labella said he cannot act as presiding officer and approving officer at the same time.

Labella was the presiding officer of the council when the solo parents ordinance was passed.

“Considering the foregoing and the veto letter, this committee opines that the aforesaid veto had lapsed and by operation of law, the said ordinance is deemed approved,” the report of the committee on laws read.

Since there were con- flicting views on the ordinance, the council went into voting.

Councilors Carillo, Margarita Osmeña, Lea Japson, Alvin Dizon, Sisinio Andales, Alvin Arcilla, Nestor Archival, Roberto Cabarrubias and Ritchie Osmeña voted in favor of the passage of the ordinance.

Andales, who chairs the council’s committee on law, reiterated that ordinance needs to be passed since Rama is not certain with his stand on it.

Councilors Mary Ann de Los Santos, Nendell Hanz Abella, James Cuenco and Phillip Zafra were against it.

De los Santos reiterated her objection to the ordinance but clarified that she is not against solo parents.

“My objection is anchored on several provision of the ordinance,” she said.

Councilors Noel Wenceslao and Eugenio Gabuya Jr., registered their abstention while Councilor Dave Tumulak was not able to vote as he was out of the session hall during the voting.

Labella, however, said that even if the ordinance has been passed, Rama may still bring the matter to the court and ask for a declaratory relief.