At the provincial development council meeting: Gwen, NGO official argue on proposed project fund

The meeting of the Provincial Development Council yesterday reached a 20-minute tensed phase when Governor Gwen Garcia and an official of a non-government organization argued hotly over a P300-million budget for more road asphalting projects in the province.

This allocation is for another road asphalting project that is included in the proposed P600-million Cebu Annual Investment Plan for 2007.

The governor was not yet around when the council deliberated on the matter and Cherry Ballescas, chairman of the Partnership for Progressive Cebu group, started questioning the budget.

The PPC is a conglomeration of around 20 NGOs represented in the council.

Ballescas insisted from provincial engineer Eulogio Pelayre a detailed presentation of the physical accomplishment report of the previous road asphalting projects, amounting also to P300 million.

Ballescas argued that she wanted "transparency and accountability" about the first allocation in the 2006 AIP so that the civil society would have basis in endorsing the proposed AIP for 2007.

She further questioned the council on why the proposed AIP was the last item in the meeting's agenda for which only 10 minutes were allocated for discussion.

Shortly after Ballescas finished raising her concerns to the council, Garcia arrived at the social hall direct from the airport after attending to an official business in Manila.

Provincial Board member Agnes Magpale gave Garcia the updates of the earlier discussion and the concerns that Ballescas had raised to the council might have upset the governor.

"I can't blame the cynicism against us in government because there are many ghost projects in the past," Garcia said that prompted Ballescas to raise her questions once more.

This time, Ballescas told the governor that she wanted a more detailed explanation on where, when, and how was the previous P300 million spent.

This only irked the governor who retorted: "If you want a detailed presentation, we're going to bind ourselves you know...if you want details, fine. We will shackle ourselves with these details and you know very well how COA operates."

Garcia explained to Ballescas that aside from the rigors of detailing the specific locations of the previous road asphalting project, among the problems in the newly proposed project is the road right-of-way.

"And that is why we have tried...to present the project, identify it but still not bind ourselves into an armored clad plethora of details because if we do that, we are just shackling ourselves with our own bureaucracy. That's the way we operate," Garcia said.

By this time, Ballescas went for the jugular saying that it was the reason why they at the civil society do not want to continue operating anymore. This apparently angered the governor who then engaged Ballescas in a heated exchange of contentions.

At the height of their argument, one of Ballescas' colleagues led her back to her seat while Garcia stared at her, paused until Ballescas was seated.

During lunch break, Ballescas left the social hall but told reporters first that all she wanted were specifics of projects already implemented.

She said that in the proposed 2007 AIP, only P15 million was allocated for relocation of the urban poor-a meager amount compared to the P40 million budget for the development of Malapascua Island and most especially to the P300-million asphalting projects, she said.

While Ballescas touted however that the civil society already agreed not to endorse the proposed 2007 AIP, other NGO representatives approached the governor and told her it was Ballescas' own opinion and decision. - Cristina C. Birondo/RAE