Tom back with riches in mind (South Road Properties)

By Ferliza C. Contratista Andrene U. Borromeo Updated March 11, 2009 12:00 AM

CEBU, Philippines - “To create Cebu City’s economic future, through the SRP, is my priority.”

Thus, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said, will be his priority during the welcome gathering late afternoon yesterday attended by close to 3,000 city hall employees, barangay officials and workers, who waited despite the rain.

Osmeña, dressed in a floral printed polo, appeared jolly and proud of his head he intentionally shaved due to excessive hair loss brought by seven rounds of chemotherapy treatment for his cancer of the urinary bladder.

He said his top priority for his two-week return to Cebu City is the finalization of developments at the 302-hectare South Road Properties (SRP), a project he initiated in 1994.



“There is this recession that is heating up not only in the US but in other parts of the world, it is my dream to make Cebu more and more self reliant, to be one of the richest, if not the richest city in the entire Philippines,” Osmeña said.

Osmeña said the first time he sat as Mayor in 1988, he sensed that Cebu City was short of cash and had to look for other sources of income, that was why, he worked and fought for the SRP.

“It will be very competitive in the next two to three years, but I can say we are well positioned despite dark clouds in the horizons, we cannot rely on America, we must not rely on the national government,” he said.

Osmeña said he wants Cebu to be able to adjust to a changing world and to develop a new kind of economic culture.

He said an economic milestone had occurred while he was away in Houston, Texas, with the signing of the P25 billion-joint venture contract with Filinvest Land Incorporated, the SRP’s first sale.

Osmeña said he will work on the policy direction of the SRP and make a follow through with other clients and locators.

The signing of the contract to him is not success in itself, but a beginning of more work especially with the looming recession.

Osmeña explained to the crowd that the city loaned P3 billion in 1998 for the SRP, but the amount had ballooned to P6 billion due to inflation.

Each square meter of land at the SRP, Osmeña said, now costs the city around P2,000.

With FLI buying the first 10 hectares at P1 billion or P15,000 for every square meter, the City earned for itself around P13,000 per square meter. That is why, Osmeña said, he wants the senior citizens to be the first to receive the fruits of the SRP sale.

“Para sad sila makatilaw, we are giving them a lump sum of P2,000 their birthday and Christmas gifts,” he said.

He said there were many who offered, but he rejected these as these were not favorable to the city.

“We have to help FLI make a lot of money because it would shoot up the value of the rest of the SRP,” he said.

He said he will be in Manila tomorrow to talk with officers of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to discuss the foreshore lease applications and to meet with the next in line locators.

Although he does not want to disclose the names of these entities, but there are reports negotiations are about to be finalized with Pueblo de Oro Consortium and SM Prime Holdings Incorporated.

Osmeña will be visited by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on the evening of the 13th for a personal visit.

He said he does not have any major issue to discuss with the President except that he will again make followups on the other necessities of the SRP.

Mayor’s Health

In his close to 30-minute speech, Osmeña also briefed the people about his health condition.

He said that once he will return to Houston, Texas on March 30, he will be subjected to a surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center where his doctors will finally remove the portion of his urinary bladder that has cancer.

The mayor had already undergone chemotherapy sessions just to kill the virus and to prevent the cancer from affecting the other parts of his body. “Mao na nga naupaw na ko, apan mobalik ra gihapon pagtubo ang akong buhok,” he said.

One up to 10 days every after a chemotherapy session, the patient will have weaker resistance due to the strong radiation, and usually the patients will only regain their strength after 10 days.

Osmeña admitted that he was about 60 per cent weaker yesterday although he is now slowly gaining back his strength.

There was no hand shaking between the mayor and his political supporters and friends after the speech, because he was quickly escorted by the security personnel to his office at the eighth floor of the City Hall annex building.

Despite several visitors, Osmeña granted the media an interview and he admitted that his doctors haven’t assured him that he is already out of risk.

Even after the doctors will be successful in removing the portion of his urinary bladder that has cancer, Osmeña said there is no assurance yet that he is already safe.

After the removal of the cancerous portion of Osmeña’s urinary bladder, the mayor will be subjected to a general check and evaluation of his condition.

When asked how he felt now compared to those months before he was subjected to chemotherapy, Osmeña said, “Mora lang g’yod og wala ko’y problema sa lawas.”

The mayor said his doctors did not prevent him from eating any kinds of food, although he was discouraged from taking acidic food and drinks. —/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)