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The Cebu City government still has no formal agreement with SM Prime Holdings Inc. for the company’s purchase of 30.4 hectares of reclaimed land, but Mayor Tomas Osmeña is already planning how to spend it.
The wish list includes buying land to develop into children’s playgrounds and parks.
He said the P600 million that SM plans to give as a downpayment for the lot purchase could be a fund source for Supplemental Budget No. 8 which will be submitted to the City Council today for first reading.
“We are counting our chickens before they hatch,” Osmeña said.
If the downpayment is not made before the yearend, he said, the city’s current accounts would answer for the supplemental budget, which would be used for lot acquisitions, barangay projects, and basic services.
“If the downpayment could not be used this year, it can still be appropriated in the first supplemental budget for 2010,” the mayor said.
Osmeña said Supplemental Budget No. 8 would be an “equalizer fund” to support projects that may have been neglected for water distribution, roads, and lot acquisition for public playgrounds and parks.
“We have not funded many of our water projects. We have to get an update on that,” the mayor said.
Osmeña said the city would also be buying land for roads and children’s parks.
He said the city has the capacity to acquire land and would rather do so than resort to lengthy expropriation through the courts.
He noted that there were a number of vacant, privately owned lots in Cebu City that kids were using as playgrounds.
Osmeña said he wanted the city to buy these lots and develop them as proper playgrounds or parks.
“We are very strong in land acquisition because we can afford to do some of that. We are not going into expropriation. We want to have areas for playgrounds and open spaces, as parks,” Osmeña said.
He also cited the need to buy lots for road development but did not give details about locations.
The mayor said he would consult other city officials on other projects that may need funding.
In the past several years, the Osmeña administration adopted a “skin and bones” annual budget that covers statutory requirements like payroll, debt payments and basic services.
Projects and additional operational funds are funded through supplemental budgets approved throughout the year.
The mayor’s cousin, former senator John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña, has taken a particular interest in the mayor’s proposed P2.9-billion annual budget for 2010.
Sonny criticized the mayor’s proposed annual budget, posting his comments on YouTube.
“Hain man diay ang unod (Where is the meat?),” asked the former senator.
He wanted to know how much money the city actually has.
City Administrator Francisco Fernandez said the former senator, like any other taxpayer, was free to ask about the city’s finances.
“In principle, (City Treasurer) Ofelia (Oliva) is free to talk to him,” said Fernandez, who suggested that he get a briefing straight from the mayor.
