No reason for 7 councilors to reject proposed 2023 budget – MBTF
“IPAGLALABAN natin ang ating budget, ipaglalaban natin ang budget ng bawat departamento, ipaglalaban natin na maibalik kayo sa serbisyo.”
This was the assurance of the defiant Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez when she spoke before the lightning indignation rally led by the more than 700 laid off workers and personnel at the city hall during the Monday flag ceremony last April 3.
Mayor Fernandez said the 7 councilors in the majority had no reason to reject the proposed budget, then pass a budget much less that of the 2022 budget, a budget that only a third-class municipality can work with.
She maintained she submitted all the 15 documents required by the Local Government Code and the guidelines promulgated by the Department of Budget and Management for the approval and passage of the annual budget on October 12, 2022, but the chairman of the committee on finance, Councilor Redford Erfe-Mejia, demanded for more not stated in the law evidently as a ploy to blame her for the rejection of the budget.
Already submitted were: Annual Investment Program for 2023, Integral Plan: Local Risk Reduction and Management Plan from 2023 to 2025 with emphasis to PPAs for 2023; and other Integral Plans like 20% Development Plans, Local Development and Investment Plan for Children; Gender and Development Plan; City Nutrition Action Plan; Plan for Persons with Disability; Combat AIDS/HIV Plan, Senior Citizens’ Annual Work and Financial Plan; Anti-Drug Abuse Plan; Peace and Order and Public Safety Plan (Local Anti-Criminality Plan); Annual Tourism and Cultural Development Plan; Local Youth Development Plan; and Indicative Annual Procurement Plan; Devolution Transition Plan with Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolution on its approval, and Proposed Annual Budget for CY 2023.
Still, Erfe-Mejia asked for the submission of the list of JOEs in every department to which Fernandez asked: “Was there any mayor of Dagupan before me who was asked by the chairman on the committee on finance to submit a list of JOEs? None, only this Sanggunian’s committee chairman is doing that.”
Fernandez added the approved annual budget is the only budget that has no 20 percent development fund, a violation of the Local Government Code and is actionable by the court and blamed Erfe-Mejia and all members of his committee for mistakenly computing the amount of National Tax Allotment (formerly Internal Revenue Allotment) of the city, by including the share of the city from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, Miscellaneous Tax and E-Vat tax.
“Without a 20 percent development fund, that means we cannot construct school buildings needed by our children, improve roads that are flood-prone, build evacuation centers where our people can safety go when disaster strikes, repair school buildings damaged by the quake, etc,” Fernandez told newsmen in an interview.
Meanwhile, the mayor said she has yet to study options available since the city is still operating on a reenacted budget of 2022 at P1.38 billion. (Leonardo Micua)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
