Gabuya to revive Kawit proposal

The P18-billion proposed project on Cebu City’s Kawit Island will be revived if the administration will get the majority in the City Council.

This was the statement of Councilor Eugenio Gabuya, Jr. who was the proponent of the resolution authorizing Mayor Tomas Osmeña to sign the joint venture agreement with Universal Hotels and Resorts Inc. for the project that includes an integrated casino and resort.

“I am planning to resubmit it gyud. This is my second option nga i-revive nako ang project sa council,” Gabuya told The FREEMAN.

His resolution was rejected weeks ago by the City Council which is presently dominated by the opposition.

Gabuya said his first option to revive the project is to refer to the opinion of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) which stated that all members of the City Council who signed the committee report should not vote against the measure.

He said three members of the opposition signed the committee report recommending and suggesting amendments to the proposed contract and they did not express opposition to the project.

They were City Councilor Jose Daluz III, Raymond Alvin Garcia, and Renato Osmeña, Jr., who was the chairperson of the ad hoc committee.

Gabuya said he will coordinate with the executive department on what options to pursue since the first option means filing a case against the three councilors.

Gabuya said he has to wait for the elected presidents of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation to sit as exofficio members of the City Council.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

On the other hand, Mayor Tomas Osmeña agreed with environmentalist Jose Gapas who said that Cebu has problems on its environment.

Jose Gapas described Cebu “as dying as an ecosystem” in his letter to the City Council on his reservations about the proposed P18-billion development at South Road Properties.

Gapas is the co-chairperson of the committee on environment of the Cebu City Development Council.

Gapas said before reviving the P18-billion project, the proponents of the development should go through a proper environmental impact study.

Osmeña, however, said Gapas should not include water intrusion as among his concerns on the proposed integrated resort on Kawit Island.

The mayor said salt intrusion will not be a problem since Kawit Island is not connected with the mainland of Cebu.

“It’s designed to destroy Kawit Island. That’s the theme of his speech. Then he starts talking about salt water intrusion. That shows you he doesn’t know anything because it’s not connected to the mainland so how can it contribute to salt water intrusion?” Osmeña said.

The mayor said Gapas’ statements are “malicious and not sincere.”