Tom asks judge to pay for stolen items at SRP

Mayor Tomas Osmeña is asking Judge Soliver Peras to pay for the stolen properties from the South Reclamation Project amounting to around P2 million.

"Shall we ask the judge to pay for it? I think it's not entirely unreasonable to ask the judge to pay for it because he has exposed SRP to undue risk and now we're losing it," he told reporters in a news conference yesterday morning.

The mayor wanted Peras to pay for the "economic losses" incurred by the city government following the latter's October 17 order opening the Cebu South Coastal Road from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily

Because Peras "created the risk", the mayor said the judge should be held responsible and pay for the materials that were stolen from city's reclamation project.

"Yes, I'm serious about it but I'll ask my lawyer if it's proper to do so. To me it's moral to ask him to pay for it. Pamayor-mayor s'ya and now we lost it," Osmeña said.

South Reclamation Project manager Nigel Paul Villarete, through his representative Felicito Josol, had reported the pilferage to the police last Monday based on their November 14 inventory.

Osmeña said the city government could only do much in beefing up SRP's security because of the court order.

"We use as a benchmark 1965 when we had 1,000 policemen. Now we have 900 policemen, 80 of whom are inutile, 50 of which are corrupt. And I'm supposed to pull out 100 to guard SRP and pull out another 500 to run after the vigilantes. What will happen to us? We only have limited resources. One-half of our intelligent funds is being used for hiring people to guard SRP," he said.

The mayor also expressed disgust over the statement of lawyer Alfredo Sipalay that the looting at the SRP, which are component projects of Metro Cebu Development Project III, usually occurs at dawn, which falls within the jurisdiction of the city government.

Sipalay filed a civil case against Osmeña, Villarete and City Administrator Francisco Fernandez for the April 8 "closure" of the road, which can only then be accessed by motorists with security passes.

Villarete said the looting has "greatly affected SRP because we don't have lights."

"In the end, a bigger economic losses accrue to SRP. Who do we ask to pay for the losses?" Villarete - Cristina C. Birondosaid.