Former Mayor Belen Fernandez briefs fisherfolk on the city ordinance.

 

THE delay in the approval of the 2022 annual budget of Dagupan caught former Mayor Belen Fernandez’ attention and wondered how and why it could happen today when it never had to happen during her six-year administration from 2013 to 2019.

Interviewed by newsmen, Fernandez said that during her term, she saw to it that all the required documents in support of the Annual Investment Plan and the annual budget itself were always submitted weeks or even months before the deadline, knowing that any delay in the submission of these will also cause the delay in the passage of the budget.

In contrast, she said could not understand why it took the incumbent city administration so much time before submitting the Devolution Transition Plan and submitted it only on March 9 when the same, was due on October 12, 2022 and the Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (IPMP) in itemized form which was submitted only last March 15.

“What has Dagupan been doing during all those times?” she asked when told that Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte had long submitted theirs before the deadline. (Dagupan City submitted its own to the SP only on March 9).

She said the city hall did worse when it tried to cover up its inefficiency with a lie, telling city hall workers that it was the SP that caused the delayed salaries of workers, particularly, of the job order employees when it was farther from the truth.

She said all programs that are considered essential, including the salaries of workers, particularly the job order employees, could be funded even under a reenacted budget because these items had already been provided in past year’s budget.

The present city administration could have given premium to the salaries of its workers easily by tapping the reenacted budget and prevented workers from going to loan sharks and borrow money at usurious interest, she said.

The thoughts of former Mayor Fernandez was shared by veteran Councilor Luis Samson Jr. who said that salaries of employees need not be delayed in a reenacted budget.

Samson belied the claim of the present city administration that salaries of employees could not be paid because the 2022 budget was still pending and merely pointed to the Sanggunian as the culprit when in fact, it was the mayor’s office that was causing the unnecessary delay.

He said that under a reenacted budget, funds that could be used in the operation of the city government, including those for salaries of employees and other essential services, are readily available.

It was Samson who urged the executive department to rush the submission of the documents required by the SP to ensure the early passage of the budget.

He said the initial documents submitted were full of errors and were not consistent with the proposed annual budget, and the city hall actually believed the SP would approve it “without looking.”

“Nag-submit nga kayo ng mga documents, mali-mali pa!” Samson noted. (Leonardo Micua)

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