City mayors don’t want Cha-cha – Abalos

Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos Jr. assured the public yesterday that local government executives will not play a key role in the pursuit of Charter change during the Arroyo administration.

“The Cha-cha issue is long been dead as it has already been rejected. Let’s just forget about it,” said Abalos, who was interviewed while celebrating his 45th birthday with informal settlers at the Welfareville compound, which was leveled by fire early this year.

“What we need now is to focus our effort in strengthening the city governments, regardless of their party affiliations and regions,” he added.

Abalos is running unopposed as president of the League of City Mayors, whose members will elect their new set of officers at the Traders Hotel in Pasay City soon.

Unlike his predecessor, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, who played a major role in the derailed people’s initiative last year, Abalos said he will instead focus on “unifying and strengthening the city governments all over the country.”

“We could do this by comparing notes with each other, adopting practices viable to a particular city and which could also be viable for another city,” he said.

Abalos issued his statement unaware that an administration lawmaker, Camarines Sur Rep. Felix Alfero, has filed a concurrent resolution calling for a constitutional convention in 2010.

Alfero’s resolution calls for electing the convention delegates simultaneously with national and local officials.

The resolution also provides that the Senate president and the House speaker act as presiding officers of the convention until the body has elected its own officers.

It also gives the members of the body the same parliamentary immunity enjoyed by members of the Congress.

Abalos also assured residents that “absolutely there will be no demolition among squatter areas in the city for the next 30 years as provided for in the ‘Abalos Law.’”

Welfareville was hit by the biggest fire in the city’s history last April, rendering around 2,300 families homeless.

Earlier in the day, Abalos personally led a group of city officials and employees in cleaning a clogged estero along Martinez Street near the Mandaluyong City Hall.  – Non Alquitran