A year of cooperation for Capitol, City Hall

CEBU, Philippines - A meeting brokered by their common friends before the clock strike at midnight in December 31, 2010 has in deed foster a good relation between the Cebu provincial government and the Cebu City government.

The meeting of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama before the 2011 started signaled a year-round cooperation and collaboration of the two local government units that they represent.

To officially end the animosity between the two local government units, Garcia and Rama agreed to start renegotiating on a very contentious issue-the 93-1 controversy.

They have come to an agreement to find possible solutions to the problem that the residents of the province-owned lots are facing. Although, the controversy has not yet been resolved but steps have already been done to solve the problem.

This includes the city government’s paying P50 million goodwill deposit to the province. The amount was included in the city’s 2012 annual budget.

 Garcia promised that the 93-1 controversy will be resolved before her term ends in 2013. The cooperation between Garcia and Rama was further cemented when the provincial government decided to reopen the access road at the Larsian in Fuente Osmeña which the Capitol has closed at the height of the conflict between Garcia and then Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

 “Let this opening of Larsian Road be a mere symbolic manifestation of the many roads to open between Cebu and the City of Cebu,” said Garcia during the reopening of the access road.

The road reopening also resulted to Capitol’s dropping of the case it filed against the city for towing its trailer truck. The trailer was used by the Capitol to clock the access road.

 “Our administration will be more of service than politics,” Rama said in answer to Garcia.

“Coordination, cooperation and collaboration will continue from this day forward,” the governor added.

The Capitol and the City Hall has also tasked its respective officials to meet and negotiate on other controversial issues involving the two local government units.

The Capitol was represented by provincial attorney Marino Martinquilla and consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda while the city was also represented by city administrator Jose Mari Poblete and city legal officer Joseph Bernaldes.

They met to start discussing the controversies over the Capitol’s claim of the Fuente Osmeña, Cebu City Zoo and the governor’s authority over the mayor to appoint the officials of the Metro Cebu Water District.

Although these controversies remained unresolved, the cooperation between the province and the city went on smoothly. In fact, the Capitol has helped Rama’s administration to beautify the city streets.

The provincial government started last May the beautification of the one-kilometer stretch of Osmeña Boulevard starting from the Capitol building up to the Fuente Osmeña.

Garcia’s daughter, Cristina Garcia-Frasco, is also doing volunteer work for the beautification movement of the city headed by Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung.

Rama described the partial completion of the beautification project as a “dream come true.” He lauded Garcia for her “wonderful display of leadership.” — /FPL (FREEMAN)