Council OKs aid to 16 barangays

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has approved the release of financial assistance to 16 barangays despite lack of the required submission of their respective plans and programs.

The council gave Mayor Tomas Osmeña the green light to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Barangays Busay, Bonbon, Day-as, Pulangbato, Punta Princesa, Tinago, Banilad, Pahina Central, Tejero, Capitol Site, Kinasang-an, Buhisan, Cogon Ramos, Adlaon, Hipodromo, and Kalubihan for the disbursement of funds.

Barangays Busay and Day-as will receive P4 million each; Bonbon, P2M; Pulangbato, P4.2M; Punta Princesa,P500T; and Tinago, P2.2 million. Barangays Banilad, Pahina Central, Tejero, Capitol Site, Kinasang-an, Buhisan, Cogon Ramos, Adlaon, Hipodromo, and Kalubihan will also get P8 million each.

Councilor Franklyn Ong, president of the Association of Barangay Councils, sponsored the resolution. The members of the council approved the resolution subject to the condition that barangays will submit documents detailing how the money would be utilized.

In 2016, the Commission on Audit ordered the barangays to return the financial assistance from the city government for lack of approval from the City Council.

Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera requested Ong to require the barangay beneficiaries to submit documents that would certify that the money given to them was obligated.

Pesquera raised a concern after she noticed that the source of funds for the disbursement of cash assistance came from the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) which will be reverted if the money will not be utilized at the end of the year.

“I have checked the supplemental budget number 5 for the year 2018 and I have verified the accounts that has been incorporated here as the source of funding. However, the account is MOOE so when it’s MOOE, at the end of the year, if it is not utilized, revert back to the general fund,” Pesquera said.

Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairperson of the committee on budget and finance, said the funds were obligated.

“So for the barangays, who still have the funds, they returned the funds and we included that in the supplemental budget that was approved in previous years. I truly believed that it was obligated and they submit the programs and plans that were to be funded for this amount,” she said. (FREEMAN)