Ormoc Council authorizes Gomez to accept Cebu aid

ORMOC CITY, Philippines — Despite a pronouncement of Mayor Tomas Osmeña to withdraw Cebu City's financial assistance to the earthquake-hit Ormoc City, the Ormoc City Council here still approved yesterday afternoon a resolution authorizing Mayor Richard Gomez to enter into a memorandum of agreement with Osmeña in accepting the latter's government's P 10,270,800 donation.

The resolution, sponsored by councilor Bennet Pongos as chair of the committee on laws and ordinances, was approved en masse, upon the motion of Councilor Vincent Rama.

Rama, a native of Cebu and Mayor Gomez's brother-in-law, added that "let it be put on record that it was a Rama who requested that said resolution be passed on mass motion for Osmeña to know."

The resolution authorizing Gomez to enter into a MOA with Cebu City also stated: "LGU-Ormoc's utmost gratitude to LGU-Cebu through City Mayor Honorable Tomas R. Osmeña and members of the Cebu City Sangguniang Panlungsod, for such profound generosity to the people of Ormoc at a time of great need."

Pongos earlier said the resolution was really calendared for discussion for yesterday's City Council's regular session, after his committtee endrosed it for plenary approval during a meeting on November 13.

Mayor Gomez' office on November 6 endorsed it to the Pongos committee as "extremely urgent," after it passed the scrutiny of the city legal office on November 4.

Mayor Osmeña's letter, dated October 24, 2017, arrived at Gomez's office on October 30, and was immediately routed to the city legal office on November 2, after a two-day holiday.

Mayor Osmeña, on the other hand, announced on November 14 that he was withdrawing the assistance because of the perceived non-interest on the part of Ormoc City, for "failing" to pass a resolution accepting the donation.

This was debunked by Mayor Gomez, who was in Washington DC on an official trip during the time the MOA was going the rounds, saying: "no help is ever too big or too small, we honor each and all with much gratefulness and appreciation."

He added that they even go the rounds looking for assistance and makes it a point to personally thank donors.

"We have experienced many calamities, and it is precisely because of the generosity and kindness of people like Mayor Osmeña that we are able to rise above them. We do not take anything for granted. No help is ever too big or too small, we honor each and all with much gratefulness and appreciation," Mayor Gomez added.

To appease Osmeña, Gomez also issued an apology, saying that "for any miscommunication, I apologize sincerely." He has also written the Cebu mayor to seek for reconsideration of the withdrawal of the donation. (FREEMAN)