Mayor Lim holds release of funds for 23 barangays
P200K FUND FOR EACH BARANGAY
WITH only six days before the year ends, only eight of the 31 barangays in Dagupan City received their respective shares of this year’s allocated P6.2 million Barangay Fund.
This was bared by City Councilor Teresa Coquia who confirmed that seven barangays (Mayombo, Mangin, Barangays 1, II, III & IV and Tapuac) received P300,000 each while Barangay Herrero-Perez only received P200,000.
Marietta Hortaleza, a representative from the Accounting Department told the Sangguniang Panlungsod no new voucher relative to the Barangay Fund has been sent by the City Budget Office to the department but promised that once these arrive, these will be processed immediately.
The vouchers, she said, are issued by the City Budget Office with endorsements from the mayor’s office.
Coquia said all the barangay chairmen have fully complied with the requirements as directed, i.e., submission of resolutions of the barangay councils identifying the projects to be undertaken for the Barangay Fund but still 23 have been left out.
The chairmen of the barangays that have been left out of the Barangay Fund trooped to the Sangguniang Panlungsod on December 21 to ask for help since there has been no word about the releases of their shares anytime soon.
Last week, City Budget Officer Jessa Rayupa told the city council that the barangay chairmen need to coordinate with the mayor’s officer to follow up on their shares.
Some councilors who approved the supplemental budget submitted by Mayor Brian Lim expressed concern that the mayor’s office is only facilitating releases of the grant of the Barangay Fund of those considered political allies of the mayor.
The P6.2 million Barangay Fund was approved on the premise that the fund will be distributed among the 31 Barangays pro rata at P200,000 each so both the councilors and barangay chairmen were surprised why seven barangays were given P300,000 each.
Earlier, Coquia expressed fear that if the P6.2 million Barangay Fund is not fully utilized before the end of the year, the balance will be reverted to the general fund next year. (Leonardo Micua)
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