DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — Members of the executive and legislative branches of the local government unit of Dumaguete City are set to meet on September 23 for an "exhaustive" discussion on the current financial status of the city.
This developed after Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria wrote to Arthur Fran Tolcidas, secretary to the City Council, on Monday regarding a prior request of the local finance committee
for the mayor to appear at the regular session and "answer questions pertinent to the financial status" of the city government.
Sagarbarria admitted it is the right of the people to information on matters of public concern, but said he noticed that, whenever someone is invited to face the committee for inquiries, pertinent details on matters could not be discussed exhaustively.
The mayor noted that this is because "they (council members) are bound to follow the strict and formal rules on parliamentary procedures. Thus, most often than not, a complete and thorough discussion ... could not be made."
Noting this predicament, Sagarbarria asked the City Council members to attend instead an executive-legislative conference to be presided by him for a thorough discussion of the city's financial matters.
The conference would allow city officials a "free and exhaustive" discussion on the subject as they would not be "bound by the strict and formal rules on parliamentary procedures, all in the spirit of sincerity and transparency," said the mayor.
Earlier, some quarters had raised concerns that the LGU had gone bankrupt, but Sagarbarria denied this, saying that the government has millions of pesos in bank deposits. — Judy Flores Partlow (FREEMAN)