Rama parries BOPK allegations

CEBU, Philippines - Mayor Michael Rama downplayed South District Representative Tomas Osmeña’s allegations that some City Hall suppliers are now complaining because the City Treasurer’s Office will not issue checks even if the processing of their vouchers are already completed because the mayor ordered to prioritize the release of the senior citizens’ cash assistance.

Osmeña said one of the suppliers, which he did not identify, shared to him his frustrations because of the failure of the city government to pay its obligations.

Osmeña forwarded to The FREEMAN the text message of the supplier that he received, which states “I called up Treasurer Emma Villarete and asked her, why you can’t issue a check to the suppliers in spite vouchers are ready for issuance?”

According to Osmeña, the supplier told him the treasurer’s explanation saying that the City Treasurer’s Office can’t issue check yet because the mayor wanted to prioritize the release of the senior citizens’ cash assistance.

Osmeña said the angry supplier narrated to him that he told Villarete to relay to the mayor his frustrations, saying “Ang utang dapat bayaran, ayaw mo pasikat og panghatag og cash assistance nga kuwang og kwarta. (Debts are supposed to be paid, don’t show off by giving cash assistance when you don’t have enough funds.)”

Villarete was on leave from her job since last Thursday while City Accountant Diwa Cuevas has been confined to the hospital for hypertension.

The camp of the Bando Osmeña Pundok-Kauswagan (BOPK) claimed that the reason why Villarete went on leave of absence and Cuevas was hospitalized is because they were pressured by Rama to release the P4,000 cash assistance despite the lack of funds.

It was reported that Josie Gonzales, the most senior personnel of the City Accounting Department, was also complaining of hypertension yesterday afternoon after she was asked to sign documents.

But Rama said “Dili dayon nato maingon nga ang pagsaka sa ilang blood pressure tungod sa ilang pagpamirma og dukomento kay basin tungod lang sa climate change, init karon ang panahon og mao nga angay’ng magdala ta kanunay og tubig. (We should not conclude that their high blood pressures were caused by the signing of documents because it may just be caused by climate change. The weather nowadays is too hot and that’s why we should always bring water.)”

Before going on leave, Villarete told Rama that the city’s available budget that can be used for the cash assistance of the seniors is only P163 million as of March 15. With the said amount, the city can only give each of the seniors P2,500.

However, Rama insisted that each of the seniors will be given P4,000 that is why the city needs P248 million for the 62,000 senior citizens accredited by the Office of the Senior Citizens in Cebu City.  (FREEMAN)