SP STANDS PAT ON ORDINANCE

DENIED.

The Sangguniang Panlungsod has once again turned down the request for a supplemental budget of P10 million, this time coming from the Liga ng mga Barangay.

A week earlier, the request of Mayor Benjamin Lim for a supplemental budget of P10 million was not approved by the council, citing that the 2012 budget of P581 million has just been approved.

“Much as we’d like to, we can not do anything as we do not want to go against our own ordinance (No. 1975-2011, which contains the approved budget),” Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, chair of the SP, told The PUNCH in an e-mailed message.

Fernandez cited Section 4 in Ordinance No. 1975-2011, which prohibits the use of personnel savings for other purposes except for the benefits of the present employees, a provision which she said is also clearly provided for in Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code .

“While the money (from personnel savings is there), it is still too early to have a supplemental budget,” Fernandez said.

Barangay chairmen made representation before the SP last Monday asking the council to approve their request for P3.1 million to be used for environmental management at P100,000 each for the 31 barangays and a separate P7 million to be used for the current Bangus Festival.

In their request for a P3.1 million supplemental budget, their share is attached to the P10.06 million earlier requested by the mayor.

The request for P6.8 million is for the executive’s use as additional outlay for “Bangus Promotion” at the barangay level and P160,000 for additional outlay for terminal leave pay in the Waste Management Division.

“All the while, we thought that the budget for 2012 is well planned. So, why was the budget for waste management in the 31 barangays not included?” Fernandez asked.

VALLEJOS PROBLEM

Meanwhile, the vice mayor admitted that the council has been having problems with Liga ng mga Barangay president Guillermo Vallejos who, she said, “does not coordinate with us”.

“I told Councilor Emong (Vallejos) to discuss with me if there are concerns from the barangays but he never did,” said Fernandez, adding that Vallejos does not attend the council sessions even if he is already in his office.

Vallejos, as Liga ng mga Barangay head, is a member of the SP.

Fernandez also suspects that Vallejos has not been coordinating with the mayor as well because if he did, their requirements under the supplemental budget would have been included in the annual budget proposal.

“We are not the executive and we only approve or disapprove a budget presented to us,” Fernandez said.

The vice mayor charged that Vallejos also hardly observes procedure, citing last year’s supplemental budget for the barangays approved by the SP. The funds should have been released to the individual barangay chairmen as provided for in the approved ordinance, but he arranged for the whole outlay to be released in his name.

“This was a violation of the ordinance that we approved last year,” Fernandez said.

At the same time, Fernandez also pointed out that the Liga’s request for P7 million funding (P250,000 for each of the 31 barangays) for the Bangus Festival is going against the pronouncement of Councilor Brian Lim, chair of the festival, that there should be no government funding for this year’s celebration.

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