On charter day: “Kalabasa Award” for Joy Pesquera

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña is planning to give a "Kalabasa Award" to Councilor Jocelyn “Joy” Pesquera during the Charter Day celebration for allegedly increasing the city's legal obligation.

Osmeña said the city has been penalized for the interest of the property of Roque Ting's property, which the city has acquired.

"Because all through these years, even when she was with us, she insisted that we should not pay Roque Ting. Initially, they were willing to settle for P8 million. Now, we lost in the Supreme Court. We have to pay them P60 million including the penalty," he said.

"I'm doing this so that people will realize what's happening," he added.

Osmeña recalled that the city could have paid the property at P9 million to P12 million before but he was stopped by Pesquera and former mayor Michael Rama when they were still allies.

The Regional Trial Court Branch 21 earlier issued a Writ of Execution to the city government demanding P33,700,000 payment for the value of the property. Another P3,912,500 for the two warehouses and rest houses that were demolished, P60,000 as attorney's fees, and P30,000 as litigation expenses.

Sheriff Constancio Alimurung said the amount shall earn six percent interest per annum from January 3, 2008, the date of judgment.

Without the allocation for the garnishment, Osmeña believes that it would nullify the budget considering that payment to the family of Ting is considered a statutory obligation of the city.

"I'm thinking of giving her kalabasa to make the people aware what she did to the city," he said, adding that the budget could have send 6,000 students to college.

Osmeña is also planning to pay the amount to the family of Ting on February 24 in time for the Charter Day of the city.

On the other hand, Pesquera said she is not convinced on why the city should pay for the garnishment since the property is underwater.

"I still believe that the city should not pay for it. He better ask his City Administrator Paul Villarete why he provided the City Council in 2001 a copy of the map showing that the alleged property of Roque Ting is under water. It's worst than the Balili case," she said.

Pesquera said the tax declaration of the Ting property was issued by the Talisay City government.

"Regarding the Kalabasa Award, I believe Tomas is just looking at himself in the mirror because he is the one deserving (of) that award. In budgeting alone, he failed in it. Imagine, he appropriated P22 million  only for garbage collection and yet his PR for the month of January is already P26 million. Good thing the Team Rama councilors increased it to P122 million despite the objections of the BOPK councilors," she said.

Pesquera said Osmeña deserves to receive the Kalabasa Award because of all the dilapidated roads in the city, adding that the mayor failed to address the needs of the people in the mountain barangays affected by the landslides.

She added that the mayor deserves the Kalabasa Award because he failed to address the problem of children sniffing rugby just outside his office at City Hall.

"His attacks on me is nothing new. I'm used to his tirades every after Sinulog. Tomas should be the one to be given the Kalabasa Award because of his failure to pay the SRP loan in full, the city government will spend P148 million to pay the interest," she added. (FREEMAN)