Because of unexplained items: Oversight group created to monitor P1.3 billion budget

CEBU, Philippines – The Cebu City Council has created an oversight committee to monitor the disbursement of lump sum appropriations in the Supplemental Budget No. 5 for the General Fund.

The committee on budget and finance, through its chairman, Councilor Jose Daluz III, included the proposal for the creation of a monitoring body under the City ordinance approving SB No. 5 amounting to P1,306,954,546.

Daluz assured that the oversight committee does not intend to make it difficult for departments to spend the money.

"The oversight committee will monitor the implementation. They have to report back to the council after the implementation and give us an update. Dili ingon na there is a prior approval of the oversight committee before the disbursement," Daluz said.

This is the first time for the council to create an oversight group to monitor the spending of specific items. During the time of former mayor Tomas Osmeña, Daluz said, there are no lump sum appropriations that have not been explained in details.

The lump sum appropriations under watch were proposed in the SB 5 but were not itemized or explained well. Just like the P100 million for asphalting, Daluz said the engineering department was not able to say which roads will be covered.

"We have to monitor this. The council is just doing its duty in protecting the money of the city. We approved lump sum appropriation so we need to make sure it is properly spent," Daluz said.

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said the executive department is also interested in forming its own group that will monitor the implementation of all projects to ensure that projects are completed on time.

Poblete said Rama does not like the idea that projects proposed and budgeted in the past have not been implemented until now because nobody is making a follow-up.

There are 18 items in the SB 5 that will need a council resolution before the department in-charge can undertake disbursements.

These items include the P36-million capital outlay for the City Council, P15 million for the proposed Business Tax Mapping project, P10 million for the proposed revalidation and Clean-up of Real Property Units Reclassification, P5 million for the Integrated Local Fiscal Management Systems, P10 million for the Information Technology Enhancement and P40 million for the Integrated Management Solutions Autobox.

Other appropriations to be monitored are: P50 million for both purchase of heavy and mobilization equipment, P40 million for vehicles such as garbage trucks and ambulance, P41.9 million for the electricity expenses, P18.5 million for the Election Reserve Fund, P10 million for the electrification of mountain barangays, P25 million for the construction and renovation of collection districts, P100 million each for the improvement of school buildings, asphalting of roads and concreting of roads and the P50 million for the repaid and construction of drainage systems.

The P1.3-billion SB 5 shall be sourced from local taxes (4.9 percent), regulatory fees (3 percent), other income (13.5 percent), sale of government lots (44.7 percent), Internal Revenue Allotment (4.4 percent), share from the Economic Zone (5 percent) and proceeds from borrowings (29.22 percent). (FREEMAN)