P5M for BEIs in city will be further delayed

CEBU, Philippines - The approval for proposed budget for the additional honoraria of teachers who will act as Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) in Cebu City and other personnel who will serve on May 9 will be further delayed since there is no regular session for the City Council this week.

 Commission on Elections  Officer for the 1st district, lawyer Edwin Cadungog and 2nd district officer lawyer Michael Angelo Sarno, submitted the proposed budget of P5,706,500 to the city government that will cover additional honoraria, meals and transportation allowance of 3,972 personnel including BEIs, support staff and supervisors for the upcoming May elections.

 There are a total of 2,511 BEIs who will be given additional honoraria worth P1,500 each, which will cost a total of P3,706,500.

 There are also 1,054 BEI support staff who will be given P1,000 each totaling P1,054,000 and 104 DepEd supervisors who will be given P3,000 each with a total of P312,000.

The supervisor's support staff, which consists of 104 personnel, will also be given P1,000 each with a total of P104,000, while the Random Manual Audit team, which will have 36 personnel, will be given P3,000 totaling to P108,000.

 Other personnel to be given the additional honoraria include: 32 members of a Task Force from DepEd who will be given P6,000 each with a total of P192,000; 78 special BEIs for detainee voting with P1,500 each worth P117,000; and the support staff of 53 special BEIs with P1,000 each worth P53,000.

 Comelec added that they would like to suggest that the proposed honoraria be released only after the May 9 elections.

 City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas said that the budget proposal was already submitted to the Office of Councilor Margot Osmeña.

 "I don't know if gituyo nga naay educational supplies. Di man na magamit. From start ug pag-abot sa official ballot up to May 9 ug May 10. Food nay kinahanglanon kay mosud na karon adlawa ang Comelec so we need to give food nila. Gi-follow up man jud ko ana ni mvo. Sa food. Nagsugo ko staff sa silong if they can provide us from other charges. Murag masud ra sa ilaha. Sa mayor's office," he said.

 Earlier, the City Council approved the P15.8 million budget for the training, retraining and other supplies for the election, which was charged against the 2015 city-sponsored activities account.

 Meanwhile, Councilor Osmeña said that there is no problem with the resolution.

 She added that they will draft a resolution for the request of the Comelec and it will be submitted on May 18 since there is no regular session next week after the May elections.

 "I wasn't able to go to my office but they (staff) informed me about it. We don't have our session next week. It would be on the following week. We will file it after the elections. We will follow the same procedure as we did on the P15 million. We will still charge it against the city sponsored and then when the revised budget is approved," she added. — (FREEMAN)