Talisay SB-4 slashed but 'not that big'

CEBU, Philippines – The Talisay City Council yesterday approved the Supplemental Budget No. 4 of Mayor Johnny De los Reyes during its regular session yesterday.

But as expected, the council slashed some of the items on the SB, one of which was the intelligence fund.

The budget slashing, however, was not that big after Mayor JVR agreed on the council's condition for the mayor to reinstate their job order quotas even though city administrator John Yre De los Reyes showed his opposition to the deal. John Yre is one of the mayor's sons.

Mayor JVR earlier decided to cut down the number of job order workers assigned to the City Council, including Vice Mayor Romeo Villarante's office, after their relationship turned sour.

Based on the "agreement," the council would approve the budget asked by Mayor JVR if the job order workers will receive their salaries.

John Yre has been vocal on his opposition to the agreement.

"So kun mao na ang inyong rason nga mabalik ang budget ni Mayor JVR unya mangayo mo og makalilisang nga job order, never mind, no deal, no deal ta. Dili na na. Huwaton na lang namo ang 2016," John Yre said in his block time program the other week.

John Yre said he is only trying to protect the city from personal interests of some quarters, adding that the council may use the job order quotas for their political advantage.

But the council clarified that it was the camp of JVR who politicized the job order workers as JVR has 600 JOs.

The council members had asked for their 90 job order workers to be reinstated. They will divide this number among themselves, including Villarante.

Under his SB-4, Mayor JVR was asking for a supplemental budget amounting to P74 million but the council approved only P58 million. The slashed amount reached up to P16 million.

City Councilor Edward Alesna, chairman of Committee on Budget and Appropriations, said they approved the P9 million intended for the salary of the job order workers and the teachers of Talisay City College.

Alesna said they also approved only P100,000 for JVR's intelligence fund instead of P4.9 million as they found out that in previous years, the mayor failed to spend the intelligence fund for its purpose.

City Councilors Dennis Basillote and Val Ylanan, who are allies of the mayor, opposed the slashing but they were outnumbered by the majority of the council during the voting.  (FREEMAN)