“OBVIOUS political reasons”.

This, according to Dagupan Councilor Marc Brian Lim, minority floor leader, is the reason why the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) has been “dragging its feet” on the city’s proposed budget for 2011.

Lim, in a privilege speech on Monday, hinted that members of the majority in the SP don’t want to act on the proposed budget in order to derail the projects and programs of the administration led by his father Mayor Benjamin Lim.

“They are hurting the general welfare of Dagupenos who will benefit from a dynamic budget that will stretch benefits to people from a wide array of sectors,” he said.

Lim appealed to his colleagues in the council to start deliberations on the budget, which under the law should have been approved by December 31 of the year prior to implementation.

Earlier, Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, chair of the SP and leader of the majority group, said the delay in the budget’s approval is due to the mayor’s order to department heads not to appear in SP hearings without his approval, and he has not given any indication that he would allow them to appear during the budget hearings.

Fernandez asserted that it is the SP’s responsibility to scrutinize the proposed budget before approval and the concerned department heads who are accountable for their budget must explain certain items in the proposed budget.

The young Lim, however, made no reference to the mayor’s gag order in his speech, which is the point of contention in the delayed passage of the ordinance.

Earlier, Councilor Jiggs Seen pointed out the SP will not be anyone’s “rubber stamp” insisting that it is the duty of the city mayor, being accountable to the council, to allow department heads to attend budget hearings.

Without an approved budget, a local government will function under a re-enacted budget from the previous year.

The law provides a 90-day extension period to pass the budget, otherwise the re-enacted budget will be in effect for the rest of the year.

NO SALARY

At the same time, Lim said he will stop collecting his salary as councilor until the new budget is passed.

He said he cannot “in conscience” claim his salary paid out from public funds knowing the SP to which he belongs has not done its job.

His move, Lim pointed, is in accordance with the law, which states that the members of the SP may not be paid their salaries until they have passed a local government budget.

None of the majority members, however, shared his sentiment.

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