2 opposition councilors get their respective SRIs
AFTER OBJECTING TO SRI
TWO opposition councilors secretly received their respective Special Recognition Allowance (SRI) of P20,000 each, like the rest of regular employees of the Dagupan City government as provided for in an appropriation ordinance (AO) passed by the Sangguniang Panlungsod at the time three of their colleagues were under a 60-day preventive suspension.
Records from the City Treasury Office showed that Councilors Marilou Fernandez and Alvin Coquia received their SRI, according to Councilor Jeslito Seen on Wednesday, January 8.
Meanwhile, the two and their colleagues in the opposition approved a resolution last week questioning the passage of two other AOs being “irregular” before the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) regional office, citing lack of quorum and violations of existing house rules.
Fernandez and Coquia were among those who sponsored a resolution strongly manifesting to the DBM regional office to take appropriate action on the alleged irregular passage of AOs authorizing Supplemental Budget No. 2 in the amount of P557.2 million, and the 2025 annual city budget of P1.68 billion, included was the AO authorizing the grant of SRI.
Seen said the SP from November 5 up to the end of December 2024 passed six supplemental budgets aside from the 2025 annual budget. But the group of Coquia and Fernandez zeroed in only on AOs authorizing Supplemental Budget No. 2 and the 2025 annual budget.
He believes the receipt of their SRI by both Coquia and Fernandez contradicts a case they before the Court of Appeals that questions the passage of the two AOs.
Also, Coquia, Fernandez, Librada Reyna and Celia Lim signed a manifesto sent to the council in its December 23 special session expressing their support for the passage of an appropriation ordinance authorizing the supplemental budget for the one-time grant of gratuity pay of P7,000 each to job-order employees and consultants.
Seen said the resolution passed by the SP by a vote of 7-5 addressed to the DBM Regional Office is merely a repetition of the issues raised by Reyna to the agency dated November 12, 2024 and to which the DBM already responded in the negative “that the concerns raised in her letter…does not pertain to a controversy within the review functions of DBM.” (Leonardo Micua)
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