LATE SUBMISSION OF PLANS BLAMED

THE Dagupan City government had to operate on a reenacted budget starting January 1, 2022 after the office of the city mayor only submitted its Indicative Annual Procurement Plan (IAPP) for the 2022 budget to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) on December 31, final deadline for its  passage.

Majority Floor Leader, Councilor Michael Fernandez, said the SP had sent a formal communication to the mayor’s office urging the latter to submit the IAPP worth P375 million early to ensure the passage of the 2022 annual budget but the city’s Bids and Awards Committee submitted it only at 11:44 a.m. on December 31.

Fernandez said the last minute submission did not allow the city council to review and act on it.

He said the IAPP is required under a Department of Budget and Management circular although Jessa Rayupa, city budget officer, said the 2021 annual budget was approved by the SP without the submission by the executive department of the IAPP.

Rayupa said that other documents were already submitted to the SP in support of the proposed annual budget as early as October 2021.

Reiterating that IAAP is a requirement prescribed under a new DBM memorandum circular, Fernandez said the submitted procurement plan document can only be reviewed by the SP in its next session since a clarification from the DBM regional office about provisions of certain DBM memorandum circular is also being awaited.

The SP conducted marathon hearings with department of heads on the proposed annual budget.

City Secretary Ryan Ravanzo earlier reminded the SP that under the local government code, no matter can be taken up by the legislative body till after the new annual budget is passed and approved.

But the passage of the annual budget will be delayed further because the SP now holds only one regular session per week, instead of two per week, after its house rules were amended.

Ravanzo said all the component plans submitted by the executive department are still undergoing review by the city councilors.

So far, the SP has completed the review of the budgets of all 31 barangays and seven Sangguniang Kabataan, adding that the budgets of seven SKs will be reviewed next, to be followed by three others. However, the budgets of 14 other SK barangays are still awaited at press time. (Leonardo Micua)

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