Erfe-Mejia wants more docs to support resubmitted budget
2nd ROUND FOR 2023 BUDGET
“IF you are serious in resubmitting the 2023 annual budget, we are also serious in requesting for pertinent documents to support the annual budget.”
This was the response of Councilor Redford Erfe-Mejia, chair of the committee on Finance, Budget and Appropriations of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), to a resolution of the Local Development Council (LDC) seeking to resubmit the P1.3 billion annual budget to the SP for its consideration.
Recall that the P864.93 million annual budget passed by the majority of the Sanggunian on March 28, 2023 was declared “inoperative in its entirety” by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) due to various violations of law.
Without apologizing for the faux pas committed in the passage of the P864.93-M budget by the SP majority, Erfe-Mejia said: “I will take this opportunity in front of the Local Development Council to also plead to our city mayor to please submit also the pertinent documents that the committee asked her”.
Not only did Erfe-Mejia seek the submission of pertinent documents but also declared the committee’s need “to consolidate significant key persons pertaining to the annual budget,” saying it is also the committee’s right to ask for pertinent documents to support the annual budget.
After stating the committee’s position, members of the LDC were inclined to believe that the majority will again continue holding weekly committee hearings that could last for months, asking for the same documents but which the committee claims were not presented by the executive department.
However, Erfe-Mejia expressed the desire of the majority to personally talk to Mayor Fernandez, which he added did not happen at any time in the past as the mayor continued to spurn such a meeting.
“I hope that the City Mayor of Dagupan will sit down with the members of the majority to discuss important matters pertaining to Dagupan City,” Erfe-Mejia said.
The call for a meeting of Erfe-Mejia was accepted by Mayor Fernandez who set this on June 25, 2:00 p.m. at city hall, with members of the minority in the SP and some department heads in attendance.
Erfe-Mejia agreed to the date, time and place of the meeting. (Leonardo Micua)
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