Osmeña’s mango tree
“Sa pagbaligya sa SRP, parehas ra’g giputol-putol ni
Rama ang punoan sa mangga nga atong gitanom. Karon hinoong tuiga ug sa mosunod nga duha ka tuig, duna pa siya’y mapaabot nga halin sa SRP. Apan mag-unsa naman pod siya inig kahurot ini? Mamaligya nasab og yuta sa SRP hangtod wa nay mahabilin ini alang sa atong kaugmaon?”
These were the famous words of Mayor Tommy Osmeña when Mike Rama sold South Road Properties (SRP) lots during his stint as mayor of Cebu City. How times have changed!
Last Aug 2, 2016, Osmeña has expressed his desire to sell 1.5 hectares of the 60-hectare Pond F. He also intends to amend City Ordinance 2332, the ordinance crafted by his allies (Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan or BOPK) that supposedly protects SRP from unauthorized transactions and dealings.
The question now is, Why the sudden change of heart by Tommy on the SRP sale? It was just last year that he wanted to revoke the sale of the 45.2-hectare lots at the SRP to three developers: 26 hectares to the consortium of Ayala Land-Cebu Holdings Inc. and SM Prime Holdings Inc. and 19.2 hectares to Filinvest Land Inc.
He insisted that the City must wait for SM and Filinvest to fully develop their areas before it disposes another parcel of land because the prices of the adjacent lots would go up. Is this his way of saying: “I am the brainchild of SRP therefore no one has the right to sell it except me”?
Rama recently said that Mayor Osmeña will have to convince the Team Rama-dominated council first on the need to sell lots at SRP before even going into serious discussions of the sale.
Osmeña clearly has his work cut out for him if he really wants to sell a portion of Pond F. This time, it will be Team Rama councilors who will be scrutinizing him and his allies who happen to be the minority of the council now.
There is an old saying, “Karma is like a rubber band, it can only be stretched so far before it comes back and smacks you in the face.” Kun ang mga karaan pa ang pasultihon, ang gaba dili magsaba, Mayor Tom.- from Richie Minggel of Banilad, Cebu City