ILOILO City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved the city government’s 2019 executive budget amounting to P2,318,992,692 but with one city hall office getting zero allocation.
The proposed budget was P2,319,192,692 but the SP took out the P200 thousand allocation for the Local Youth Development Office (LYDO).
The LYDO failed to address the concerns raised by Councilor Leila Luntao, the president of the Sangguniang Kabataan city federation, one of which was their overlapping functions, according to Councilor Plaridel Nava, chairperson of the committee on appropriations.
The SP also approved on Wednesday the P77,172,543 proposed 2019 budget of the Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO).
In his committee chairman’s report, Nava cited a budgetary innovation introduced – the splitting into two parts the maintenance and operating expenses (MOOE) and capital outlay of the chief executive as well as the city councilors.
Half of the budget for each office/account is from January to June 2019; the other half is from July to December.
This aims to ensure that incumbent elective officials seeking reelection “shall not abuse and misuse public funds…to promote their self-serving political interests,” Nava explained.
Come June 2019 in the event there will be a new set of city officials, there is available fund at their disposal, he said.
All sources of funds for job hires were likewise divided in two tranches.
With regards to the budgets proposed by department heads, Nava’s committee recommended their full approval.
The department heads were in the best position to determine the needs of their respective offices, said Nava.
Only Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo, former appropriations committee chairperson, objected to the budget innovation. It could hamper the delivery of services or operation of certain offices, most especially during emergencies, he said.
“Like ang capital outlay, kun mabakal ka salakyan nga kinahanglanon, indi magamit. Mahulat ka naman six months, kundi kulangon ka naman,” said Peñaredondo.
He also described as “unrealistic” the July-December placement of the budget for the summer jobs program employing students.
Nava previously said, too, he was not inclined to recommend a budget for the City Legal Office for 2019. But he changed his mind on Wednesday.
He said the CLO under Atty. Rulido Dela Cruz promised him it would improve its performance.
Last week, Nava said the CLO had been remiss in its responsibilities such as submitting a position paper on the legal issue over Prime Water Infrastructure Corp.’s franchise application.
Also, he said, “Tanan nga kaso sang syudad pirdi. Wala kita sang success rate diri. Paano karun ni Mayor Joe (Espinosa III) ma-convince ang komitiba kag ang pumoluyo nga gusto nya may ara Prime Water? Ang abogado sang syudad waay ga-submit position paper. Kadamo sa ila dira.”
Nava denied politics had something to do with his committee’s zero budget plan.
“Ang aton we want to make a message. Sa ulihi mag-perform sila we can always make a supplemental budget,” he said./PN
