Governor's help sought in Compostela budget mess

CEBU, Philippines – Compostela Mayor Ritchie Wagas is asking the assistance from Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to continue the 2009 Annual Budget of the town after the municipal council failed to approve and pass for its approval.

Wagas told Garcia that he wants the budget process to move on adding that he already called for a special session but majority of the councilors failed to attend, including the presiding officer.

Garcia advised the mayor that instead of insisting that the 2009 budget be operative, the town will just work on the reenacted budget of 2008.

But Garcia told Wagas that if the budget is reenacted there are certain provisions that can no longer be implemented.

“Kung kamao mo mo-handle anang reenacted budget you can use that to your advantage,” Garcia said as she shared the experience of his father, former governor Pablo Garcia, who was in the same situation during his term.

“My father was able to do that. He was able to function very effectively and in fact continued to deliver basic services to the province even with a reenacted budget to the disadvantage of the members of the Provincial Board,” the governor added.

In 2005 during her second year as governor, Garcia also revealed that when the submitted budget was not acted upon nor passed by the Provincial Board she continued to function on a reenacted budget.

Wagas called for the special session last April 28 but the majority opposition block snubbed the special session to discuss the proposed P74.814-million 2009 budget.

“Our submitted 2009 executive budget is still pending and the Sanggunian concerned did not continue to hold sessions at the beginning of this year supposedly until the said budget is approved pursuant to the mandate of the law,” Wagas said in his letter addressed to chairman of the committee on budget and appropriation Board member Wenceslao Gakit.

Wagas emphasized the session is needed “to give life and meaning of the mandatory legal obligation” of the municipal council to enact the annual budget within ninety days from the beginning of the year.

Of the eight members of the council only administration councilor Venancio Gatdula Jr. attended the session, hence there was no quorum.

Opposition councilor Teresa Cang, chairwoman of the committee on budget on finance in the council, said she was asking for schedule of personnel 2009 last January yet but the mayor did not provide them with this.

“Besides, there are issues that are yet to be resolved which have not been resolved presently,” Cang said, adding that the schedule of the personnel is the list of all people employed and paid by the municipality.

According to Cang, the council passed the 2008 budget of P47 million but the mayor vetoed it.

In turn, the municipal council overrode the mayor’s veto claiming the opposition did not get the required number, adding the mayor vowed to implement his version of P57 million.

Cang, however, could not tell when the municipal council would approve the 2009 annual budget.

Right now, the municipal government of Compostela is using the P47-million 2008 budget proposal. — Garry B. Lao/BRP (THE FREEMAN)