City Council OKs P716M SB-1

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council approved yesterday the P716 million supplemental budget asked by Mayor Tomas Osmeña despite questions of its funding sources.

All nine councilors allied with the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan voted for the approval of the first supplemental budget during their regular session yesterday.

On the other hand, the eight members of Barug Team Rama objected to the proposed source of fund. Among those identified as funding sources are the city’s “savings” from the acquisition of province-owned lots in 2012, 2013, and 2015 amounting to P500 million and another P15 million savings from the construction of the new abattoir building.

Councilor Jose Daluz III objected to the use of the savings as source. He instead suggested to use the city’s earnings from the sale of the parcels of lots at South Road Properties in 2015 since it is an actual money.

“I’m objecting because lot acquisition for 93-1 has no cash back up,” Daluz said, adding that the supplemental budget should be sourced from funds that are identified with actual money like the proceeds of the SRP lot sale.

Daluz said he has no other objections but only to the source of funds.

Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia also questioned the validity of nine votes to approve the budget ordinance. He claimed that it against the opinion of Department of Budget and Management and the Local Government Code.

Garcia said “any ordinance or resolution authorizing or directing the payment of money or creating liability shall require the affirmative vote of a majority members of the Sanggunian for its passage.”

“It’s clear in the law that it defines two types of majority one is qualified and one is simple. For ordinary ordinances or resolution that does not carry any liability or a payment of money, simple majority is required but when the ordinance or the resolution carries with it the payment of money or liability and it requires qualified majority,” he said.

Garcia said qualified majority should be 10 since the Vice Mayor is included in the count.

There are 18 members of the City Council now, including Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella. The nine members of BOPK are Councilors Sisinio Andales, Margarita Osmeña, Joy Augustus Young, Jerry Guardo, Eugenio Gabuya, Alvin Arcilla, David Tumulak, Mary Ann de los Santos, and Nendell Hanz Abella who authored the budget ordinance.

Under Barug Team Rama are Labella, Daluz, Garcia, Jocelyn Pesquera, Pastor Alcover, Phillip Zafra, Joel Garganera, James Anthony Cuenco, and Eduardo Rama.

Garcia said there is a clear distinction in the law that qualified majority is needed to pass an ordinance or resolution that directs payment of money or liability.

Arcilla said the opposition’s objection is only to the source of funds and not to other items of the budget ordinance. He said the Council should approve the budget ordinance pending the opinion of the Department of Budget and Management on the objection raised by Daluz.

Items under SB-1

Abella, author of the budget ordinance, said he retained the amount P716 million as proposed by the executive department because the opposition-allied councilors did not question the amount.

 The budget includes the P83 million for the second tranche of the salary standardization of 3,484 current employees; P50.3 million for the tuition of the city’s scholars to Asian College of Technology since 2011; P72 million for the face-lifting of industrial road of Inayawan Landfill; P3.7 million lot acquisition of Roque Ting property, among others.

Bulk of the budget goes to Department of Public Services amounting to P214 million which includes the P151.2 million for the hauling of garbage and P56.3 million for the rental of heavy equipment. (FREEMAN)