DESPITE CALLS FROM 31 BARANGAYS

MAYOR Belen Fernandez again entered the lions’ lair, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, on Tuesday (May 28) to appeal to the opposition comprising the majority to act on the long overdue Supplemental Budget No. 2-2024 amounting to P557 million, needed to implement the programs for 31 barangays.

But her passionate appeal went to naught as the majority bloc again used its number, 6-5, to defeat a motion proposed by Minority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez to suspend the rules to place on second reading Supplemental Budget No. 2-2024 owing to Mayor Fernandez’s letter certifying the urgency of passing the measure is in conformity with the Local Government Code.

When Mayor Fernandez initially spoke on her programs and projects to be funded by the proposed Supplemental Budget No. 2-2024, Councilors Alfie Fernandez and Redford Erfe-Mejia tried to prevent her from speaking by simultaneously, drowning out her voice, insisting that her presence was a violation of the independence of the legislative body punishable under the Local Government Code.

This kept on for five minutes as the mayor continued to speak ignoring the twin loud obstructing voices.

Vice Mayor Bryan Kua said he ignored the two councilors and allowed the mayor to continue with her address, citing Section 455 of the Local Government Code which provides that in case of urgent matters, the city executive can speak before the Sanggunian any time.

In denying the Councilor Fernandez’ motion by 6-5 vote, the SP majority in effect did not give credence to the provision of the Local Government Code and opted that the proposed supplemental budget again goes through committee hearings by the committee on finance, budget and appropriations to be again done weekly.

Mayor Fernandez entered the session hall with the barangay captains and sangguniang kabataan chairmen, as well as department heads in tow.

She said the seven councilors do not deserve their positions for arguing that the reason they did not approve all the proposed P599 Supplemental Budget No. 1 was because they had just passed the 2024 annual budget last March, and that the funds for 2023 annual budget have not been fully spent.

She said they don’t understand the difference between annual budgets and supplemental budgets and cited the move of the majority to increase wages of garbage collectors and segregators just to win sympathy without acting on the supplemental budget.

“They forgot that in order to lighten the work of garbage collectors and segregators, the city must have to provide them with four dump trucks, a backhoe, a loader, and six “garongs”, all of which are contained in the proposed supplemental budget,” Fernandez told newsmen later.  (Leonardo Micua)

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