Dagupan’s 2015 annual budget finally approved
COUNCILORS’ ISSUES CLARIFIED
THE city council finally passed the P691 million annual budget of Dagupan for 2015 during its regular session on Tuesday.
Councilor Jeslito Seen, chairman on the appropriations committee, moved for the adoption of the budget as presented but not without an amendment introduced by minority Councilor Redford Erfe Mejia.
He asked for the deletion of Section 4, Paragraph 4 of the budget, effectively removing the power of the local executive to realign or augment items (in the budget) from savings without the concurrence of the city council, which act were previously allowed in the 2013 and 2014 budgets.
Instead, that paragraph was revised to read: “That the local chief executive or the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panglunsod (SP) shall not augment any item in the approved annual budget for their respective offices from savings and other items with the same expense class of their respective appropriations unless authorized by an ordinance”.
Erfe Mejia said such provision was provided in the 2012 budget when Benjamin Lim was mayor of Dagupan and mayor Belen Fernandez was vice mayor. But this was eventually changed when Lim’s allies led by his son now Vice Mayor Brian Lim seized the majority in the SP in 2013 in a virtual coup. This feature was adopted en toto in the 2014 annual budget.
Although he did not oppose the amendment on the floor, Seen said it is up to the mayor to accept or to veto the amendment.
“If she will, the budget will be returned to the Sangguniang Panlungsod and the body will need three-fourth of all the members to override the veto,” said Seen
What is most important, Seen said, is the annual budget was already approved and that the city finally ceases to operate under a reenacted budget. He also said that with the approval of the budget, the wages of emergency workers and consultants will be finally paid.
CAUSE OF DELAY
“But I am personally condemning the persons, things or efforts that caused the delay in the approval of the budget. Budgets should not be delayed anymore because of the decision of the Supreme Court that considered the Priority Development Fund (PDAF) as unconstitutional,” insinuating that the demand for pork barrel by some of his colleagues caused the delay in the approval of the budget.
He downplayed a statement made by Councilor Alfie Fernandez that the SP did not intentionally delay the discussion on the budget and the reason for the delay was the late distribution of the councilor’s individual copy, three weeks after it was submitted to the SP on October 2.
He maintained that since the SP had no budget to have the copies reproduced, it had to ask the mayor’s office to do the reproduction so that all the councilors would get their respective copies, a situation that compelled the SP to ask for a higher budget.
In reaction, Seen said “Napakaliit na bagay lang yan para ma-delay ang approval ng budget. The utmost consideration for the approval of the appropriation ordinance is the welfare of the people, not the lack of materials in the Sanggunian.”
Budget Officer De Guzman also maintained that SP has a budget for office supplies and including petty cash but these were not utilized.
De Guzman said the process of budgeting uses zero budgeting approach “in consideration of the needs of the office” and not based merely on submitted amount.
Fernandez lamented that of the P691 million 2015 annual budget of the city, the SP was given a share of only P39 million. In 2014, it was P37 million when the city budget was P628; in 2013, it was P46 million when the annual budget was P612 million; and in 2012 when the annual budget was P528 million, it was given P40.
In reaction, De Guzman clarified that the 2013 budget of the SP was higher than in 2015 because of the retirement benefits of P3 million appropriated for retiring employees, including SP members who were completing their third and last term of office. (LVM)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
