During city's charter day fest in February: Tom to give BJMP 'Kalabasa Award'

A "kalabasa" or squash denotes a derogatory message when attributed to an award, and Mayor Tomas Osmeña plans to give such award to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

"It is the most corrupt institution," Osmeña told reporters as he revealed yesterday his plan to confer the Kalabasa Award to the BJMP during the 69th Cebu City Charter Day celebration on February 24.

BJMP earned the ire of the mayor for its failure to implement reforms in the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center, which was plagued in the past with various anomalies such as jailbreaks, and the presence of illegal drugs and guns among inmates.

Osmeña also threatened to stop the incentive allowances usually given to jail personnel of the women's correctional center in barangay Kalunasan, unless the BBRC management will pull out two of its personnel assigned there.

Osmeña did not mention the names of the two but he said these personnel were previously assigned at the BBRC and were transferred to the women's correctional center last month by the BJMP.

"We will give BJMP until the end of January to pull these two personnel out otherwise all jail personnel will lose their incentive allowance," Osmeña said stressing that BBRC personnel must not contaminate the women's correctional center.

"To me, they are blacklisted. They don't deserve (to be transferred to the women's center)," Osmeña said.

The mayor meanwhile mentioned to reporters that the Charter Day celebration next month will not be as lavish as that of the previous administration. "No parade and no dinner. Nothing special, just simple ceremony," he said.

During the Alvin Garcia administration, the city government spent P270,000 for the publication of Garcia's accomplishment report and for Charter Day awardees, and P425,000 for the Barangay Night.

Osmeña said the city would limit its expenses this time so that more would benefit from the observance of a historical milestone of the city.

The late Senator Vicente Rama was the principal author of Commonwealth Act 58 in 1935 creating the City of Cebu. He also served as mayor and a congressman, while being a writer and publisher, before he died on December 24, 1956 at the age of 69.

Resil Mojares, of the University of San Carlos Cebuano Studies Center, said, "The Charter was an important milestone toward the achievement of fiscal autonomy. It is relevant today because of the efforts for more decentralization of power to the local government units." - Garry B. Lao