SP threatens reenacted budget for city
VM LIM REJECTS SPECIAL SESSION
IF the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) again fails to approve the city’ 2016 budget when it meets on the first week of January 2016, the city government will have no choice but to operate on a reenacted budget.
A last ditch effort of Mayor Belen Fernandez to have the budget approved by asking for a special session on December 22 during its Christmas break for the purpose of approving the proposed 2016 annual budget but this was spurned by Vice Mayor Brian Lim who sent the SP secretariat on a study tour on December 21, Monday.
Since the secretariat was out of town, no notice about the special session was sent to the councilors.
Councilor Jeslito Seen, chairman of the SP’s committee on finance and appropriation, said on Dec. 22 that a reenacted budget for the city is inevitable but still expressed hope that a new budget will be approved by the first week of January and to avoid a financial crisis in the city.
“I did not receive any notice. I only read that the mayor called for a special session in The Sunday Punch,” Mr. Seen complained.
City hall observers believe the SP secretariat’s “study tour” was timed to rebuff the mayor in retaliation for her refusal to include their additional P270,000 overtime pay in Supplemental Budget No. 2 approved by the SP in its regular session on Dec. 14.
“I hope that was not in retaliation although there were reports that some members of the SP are out to hold the budget hostage in order to sabotage the programs and projects of the chief executive,” Seen said.
Earlier, City Budget Officer Luz de Guzman reported that the SP had already spent P1.2 million in overtime pay for codification of ordinances in 2014, another P400,000 this 2015 or a total of P1.6 million. It was learned that no proof of work or accomplishment was ever presented by the concerned employees yet.
If the city government is forced to operate on a reenacted budget, Mr. Seen said among those that will be seriously affected will be job order employees whose salaries cannot be paid, and infra projects for the barangays and the public schools.
The projects in public schools that will be suspended are the scheduled construction of school buildings to be used by incoming senior students in Grades 11 and 12 beginning June 2016.
The mayor said the regular employees will also suffer once the new Salary Standardization Law is signed into law by President Aquino since the city will not be in the position to adjust their respective salaries in the absence of a new annual budget.
The delay in the implementation of the projects can also cause the loss of Performance Challenge Fund of P3 million from the Department of Interior and Local Government.
Mr. Seen appealed to his fellow councilors to think of the welfare of the city and people before pushing a political agenda that will make the city suffer immeasurable losses in services.
He said the proposed annual budget went through exhaustive public hearings attended by members of the minority so there is no reason for the delay or prevent its approval. (Leonardo Micua)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
