Rama recalls threat to sue City Council

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has withdrawn his threat to file a case against the City Council after its members did not override his line veto on the 2015 Annual Budget.

 “What is there for me to file when they did not anymore override. It will not too good for me doing it,” Rama said.

 Rama believes the council did not override his veto because “they may have heard and understood that they have a role which is only complementing but not abrogating, arrogating, substituting and subrogating.”

Rama admitted he felt elated by the council’s decision.

“I was very happy that it was not overridden by the council,” he said.

Rama said he will be forming a core group to review the P5 billion worth of projects removed from the original budget proposal of P18.9 billion.

“Since there are lots of approaches to be done like the P5 billion worth of services that were not included. This, I will create another group to look into the excluded items because there are other very important things there that the council did not consider,” he said.

 Rama said he will pursue with “aggressiveness” the restoration of the deleted amount.

“This year is a functional, operational, confrontation, conflicting, implementing, creating and integrating of projects and programs for our administration,” he added.

 Rama pointed out that putting “restrictions or colatilla” on the budget ordinance is a form of usurpation, which is a violation of the existing laws.

He said the council cannot put special provisions on the budget as it would only mean curtailing his right being the local chief executive.

He said no specific provisions in the local government code that allows the council to act as mayor.

“Know your turf, know your role and do what is expected of you and I will do mine,” he said.

“Give me local government code provisions that make the council a mayor. That in absence of the mayor the council will become a mayor. It is only the vice mayor. That’s very unequivocal leaving no room for no further interpretation it has to be where is as is,” Rama added.

Though the council did not override Rama’s line veto on 20 “inappropriate provisions,” its members had given the Department of Budget Management the discretion to comment and rule on the issue.

“I don’t want to argue with DMB because they are just issuing circulars not laws. Circulars can never be written into a law because DMB has not become a congress,” the mayor said, responding to the statement of Councilor Margarita Osmeña that they are just following the pro-forma documentation provided by DBM in crafting the ordinance. (FREEMAN)