City secretary: 'Lost' resolution now on file

Cebu City secretary Estrella de los Reyes yesterday insisted that the secretariat should not be blamed why the copy of an approved resolution can no longer be recovered after it was sent to the Office of the Mayor for signature, and that the record is now on file at the city secretary's office.

It was councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa who sent a letter to De los Reyes dated last August 11 asking her to explain why he did not receive any feedback on his approved resolution appropriating P56,000 for the uniforms of Gender and Development focal personnel.

The city council approved the Resolution No. 05-2301, dated January 26, 2005.

In her letter of explanation addressed to the city council, De los Reyes explained the resolution was already forwarded last February 3, 2005 to the Office of the Mayor for his signature considering that it was chargeable to Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation funds.

Again the resolution was referred to the city budget to determine whether GAD personnel are all employees of the city government last February 15, 2005.

De los Reyes said that seven days later, the query was answered by the city budget office and it was last February 28, 2005 when the matter was already referred to Abellanosa's office.

According to De los Reyes, then city administrator Juan Saul Montecillo forwarded the resolution last May 9, 2005 back to the city budget together with the list of the barangay GAD personnel. After the referrals and endorsements, the resolution came back to Montecillo on May 13.

Based on the records of the city administrator's office, it was on June 30, 2006, when his executive assistant pulled out the resolution.

De los Reyes said the copy of the resolution was not returned because it was made an integral part of Purchase Request. She insisted the resolution is now on file at the city secretary's office.

"My office made follow-ups on the resolutions forwarded to the Office of the Mayor for his signature but my staff were just told that these are already on the table of the mayor and they could not determine when the mayor will sign them," De los Reyes said.

De los Reyes, however, said that she already instructed her staff to make an inventory of the resolutions and ordinances forwarded to the Mayor's Office for signature.

She added that a corresponding report will now be submitted to the city council in case the resolutions and ordinances will not be returned within 10 days after receipt by the Office of the Mayor.

The resolutions and ordinances the mayor approves are part of the agenda the council discusses in its regular sessions every Wednesday. - Garry B. Lao/BRP