Osmeña dubs CEDZ bill an "ambitious project"

CEBU, Philippines - Outgoing Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña bluntly criticized the proposal to convert the entire Cebu province into an economic zone as an “ambitious project” of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Speaking before members of the business sector, who participated in the 19th Visayas Area Business Conference held yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Club, Osmeña said “I would like to ask the chamber of commerce why do you support the Cebu Economic Development Zone bill?

Osmeña, who will soon take his seat as the newly elected representative for Cebu City South District, told businessmen that the development of Cebu is based on its ability to get adjusted to globalization, “not based on what you think.”

The outgoing mayor emphasized that if the CEDZ under the House Bill No. 1319, will be passed into law, the entire Cebu will be under the “chamber’s” management.

This time he said because taxes will no longer be the province’s main revenue contributor due to the economic zone law, “there will be no more policemen, only security guards.” Significantly, the basic services of which expenses are taken from the local government unit (LGU) tax revenue will suffer.

According to Osmeña the business sector should consider how the national government policies will affect Cebu.

“This is the other side of the coin that you didn’t see during your discussion. I’d like to throw this issue on your lap,” the Mayor said to CCCI members.

The CCCI is the proponent of the CEDZ or the House Bill 1319. The CEDZ is envisioned to be a paradigm of an effective and functioning Public-Private Sector Partnership with the private sector taking the lead and government providing infrastructure and institutional support and contributing part of the needed resources.

The bill is authored by all of the eight congressmen from Cebu and is jointly supported by local business groups including international funding groups, like the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

House Bill 1319, creating the Cebu Special Ecozone and Free Port, has already passed through the House’s economic affairs committee, of which Durano is chairman, as well as the ways and means and appropriations committees.     

The province-wide ecozone bid of Cebu was conceptualized during the leadership of Francis O. Monera at the CCCI, couple of years back.

Early this year, CCCI president Samuel Chioson said that the Chamber is planning to re-file the bill in the next Congress, although the bill was already passed to the Senate level.

According to Chioson the Chamber will once again ask the support from the new set of Cebuano Congressmen after the election, in order to continue with the fight.

Earlier, House of Representative economic affairs chairman Representative Ramon H. Durano VI, suggested that the major proponent of CEDZ, should make a very strong back-up in defense of the Bill at the Senate.

When asked to react on the Mayor’s statement yesterday, Chioson said the Chamber still has to get the consensus of its members and officials, and will also discuss the issue with the Mayor for a possible win-win solution on this matter.