Mayor Tom asks Council to sign P150M supplemental budget

Mayor Tomas Osmeña has already asked the city council to approve the city's first supplemental budget amounting to P150.4 million to finance the operations and other financial obligations of the Cebu City government.

Osmeña has endorsed the approval of the first supplemental budget after city treasurer Tessie Camarillo certified that the city has an excess realized collection of P150.5 million as of February 12.

Of the P150.4 million supplemental budget, the P100 million will be for maintenance and other operating expenses, while the rest of the amount will be spent for the salaries and wages of the City Hall's 5,000 employees.

It is expected that the city council would discuss the mayor's request for the approval of the city's first supplemental budget during the council's regular session tomorrow, but will just refer said request to the committee on budget and finance for study.

After the committee headed by councilor Jocelyn Pesquera completed its study, it will render a report to the body and recommend whether to approve or deny the mayor's request.

Of the P7.5 million intended for the Office of the Mayor, in said proposed first supplemental budget, the P3 million will go to the mayor's confidential expenses, P72,000 for anti-drug campaign, P576,000 for anti-squatting and demolition program, while P662,206 is for extraordinary expenses.

Confidential expenses include intelligence funds or the purchase of information to improve peace and order in the community. - Rene U. Borromeo/MEEV