Commissions, special bodies under Rama eyed for revamp

CEBU, Philippines - The City Council is planning to review the ordinances that created the special bodies and commissions under the mayor’s office, saying the composition of these special bodies and commissions may have to be changed.

Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young said that Rama can assume the chairmanship of all boards and commissions, but the Council will now pursue its long overdue plan to amend the ordinances owing to observations that many of the members of these special bodies and commissions are not interested to be there and have only been reportedly forced to be there because the ordinances mandate the same.

Young clarified the move is not a counterattack to Rama’s decision to revamp the leadership of the special bodies under his office wherein some councilors were stripped of their chairmanship or membership posts.

“It’s about time to implement revamp in the membership. We should put people who are interested and have the time to attend the meetings,” Young said.

He said the Council is also considering of amending the chairmanship of some boards and commissions because “the mayor is very busy, he cannot manage all of them.”

Young clarified that the Council has no problem with the move of the mayor to take over the chairmanship of some boards and commissions as what was mandated in the ordinances that created them. The councilors said it is the prerogative of the mayor to assign the people he wants to head these special bodies.

What Young is criticizing is Rama’s choices.

Rama said he chose those people he trust and with whom he has confidence, but Young said trust and confidence are not enough because competence is also an important “ingredient.”

Young questioned the qualifications of Renato Mercado who is representing the mayor in the Community Scouts Division and Mining Regulatory Board and Philip Zafra who is the mayor’s executive assistant and now representing the mayor in the Coastline Management Board and Bantay Dagat Commission.

“He (Rama) must choose somebody that has ranks because putting someone there that has a lower rank than the rest of the members is an insult to them. Besides, all these people are new and it would take them six months to one year to familiarize with the job,” Young said.

Councilor Margarita Osmeña said putting persons who are not even connected with City Hall in the chairmanship of the boards gives these persons authority, but abdicates accountability. — (FREEMAN)