By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
THE CITY government of Bacolod is currently engaged in crisis communication re:
P279.3-million furniture and equipment (F&E) galore confusion.
On May 19, City Information Officer Carmela Arcolas-Gamboa, in a media interview, inadvertently mentioned about the P279.3-million budget for F&E at the mayor’s office.
Such amount, she said, would be taken from the approved P4.4-billion loan of the city government from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
Unexpectedly, her interview went viral on social media. It didn’t only “shock” the media but also moved the public to criticize such huge budget just for F&E.
Hours after, Gamboa corrected her pronouncements. She declared that such an amount wasn’t intended for F&E at the mayor’s office but for the proposed new legislative building.
Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, too, was “shocked” but quick to respond: LOL (laugh out loud)!
Then, over the weekend, Bacolod went abuzz with this P279.3-million F&E uproar.
Billed by some Negros’ political gurus in the sidelines: “Indebitamente”, an Italian term for undue in English.
Too, lot of netizens commented that such an amount for F&E is inapt with the current economic situation in Bacolod. Most, the netizens added, are still reeling from the wrath of COVID-19.
To make a clarification, Mayor Albee Benitez and his allies held a press conference on May 22. Councilor Al Victor Espino was tasked to do an explanation. He said such huge amount will be divided for the F&E of eight offices.
In an eight-page loan document signed by Mayor Albee and DBP Head of Bacolod Lending Center Bernardo Castillon, the P279.3 million was included as Item No. XVII in the approved P4.4 billion.
In the said item, it says “to finance acquisition of various F&E for the city.”
Therefore, let it be known of the specific facts and figures for the eight projects plus the budget for their respective F&E that Espino is referring to.
* Construction of Legislative Building (Annex E.1) in Barangay Villamonte – P515 million + P85 million F&E = P600 million
* Construction/improvement of mini-hospitals for barangays Cabug, Vista Alegre, Alijis, Mandalagan and 12 – P135 million + P65 million F&E = P200 million
* Improvement and Rehabilitation of Old City Hall – P223 million + P27 million F&E = P250 million
* Construction of Bacolod City Warehouse in Barangay 13 – P67.9 million + P10.1 million F&E = P78 million
* Construction of City Engineer’s motorpool area in Barangay 2 – P30.8 million + P12.2 million F&E = P43 million
* Improvement of tree park in Barangay Alangilan – P47 million + P3 million F&E = P50 million
* Construction/Improvement of City Health Complex (Annex E-7) in Barangay 2 – P220 million + P30 million F&E = P250 million
* Construction/Improvement of Recovery and Recycling Complex and Eco Park in Barangay Felisa – P103 million+ P47 million F&E = P150 million
MORAL ISSUE
Two political gurus in Negros Occidental said the amount intended for F&E was “excessive and inappropriate”.
They said for a new legislative building to have P85 million budget for F&E alone is “too much” or “extravagant”. More so for a warehouse and a tree park to have P10.1 and P3 million worth of F&E, respectively.
Meanwhile, a college professor said the loan ain’t bad but where it is intended is somehow “tactless”.
After the weekend hullabaloo, the professor said the P279.3 million for F&E turned is a moral issue. Having no livelihood and food security components, the loan is “anti-poor”, he articulated.
The two said components are vital amid inflation, hunger, and recovery from COVID-19 pandemic.
The construction of the P515-million new legislative building with helipad and the provision of P80 million for F&E, he emphasized, are blatant display of “extravagance-to-the-max”.
“Can it feed a hungry stomach?”
There’s “insensitivity” in this loan, the professor underscored. “Helipad for what?…Does Bacolod badly need it?”
Bacolod, in 2020, had more than 40,000 poor households, a city survey showed. They thought the city government can do something to uplift everyone’s lives using ingenuity in public service backed by the local revenues.
Well, since the loan is already there, Bacolodnons have no choice but to “swallow” such realism./PN
