MAYOR LIM OPTED TO LET GO

THE 2022 budget of Dagupan is deemed approved even without the expressed approval of Mayor Brian because he simply allowed the ordinance to lapse into law after the 10-day reglementary period expired.

It was evident that the Office of the City Mayor observed the lawful procedure by sending a transmittal letter to the Sanggunian Panlungsod (SP) at 3:19 p.m. on June 28, returning the seven copies of Budget Ordinance No. 2244-2022 with neither the mayor’s signature indicating approval nor a veto message attached to it.

The transmittal letter from Mayor Lim to the SP, in fact, preempted the move of the  SP to issue a certification about the failure of the city executive to approve the ordinance enacted on June 9.

It arrived in the midst of the valedictory session of the SP, after City Secretary Ryan Ravanzo reported to the plenary that as of 2:26 p.m. on that day (June 28): “We have not received any reply nor received the seven copies (of Budget Ordinance No. 224-2022), either signed or unsigned or with any veto message.”

Then Majority Floor Leader Michael Fernandez declared that the failure of the city executive to act as provided in Rule 10, Section 1, Paragraph b of Resolution No. 753 (House Rules of the SP) and in accordance with Chapter 4, paragraph  b of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code); and thereafter. proposed a  resolution  asking City Vice Mayor Bryan Kua, the SP presiding officer, to instruct the City  Secretary ”to issue the necessary certification for record purposes and for purposes of submitting the required document to the proper government agencies”.

Fernandez held that the certification was necessary before the 2022 budget ordinance appropriating P1.38 billion to fund the operations of the city government can be deemed approved and become operative following its publication in a newspaper of general circulation in Dagupan and Pangasinan.

An hour after the deliberation, the transmittal letter signed by City Administrator Michael Datario returning the seven copies of the budget ordinance without Mayor Lim’s signature approving it or a veto message arrived.

With nothing to approve or override a veto, the budget ordinance is deemed approved and the city government will cease to operate on a reenacted budget. (Leonardo Micua)

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