Council okays P530M supplemental budget

CEBU, Philippines -The Cebu City Council yesterday approved the P530-million Supplemental Budgets for the General Fund and Special Account which is less than half the original amount proposed by Mayor Michael Rama.

The council approved the supplementalappropriation no.2 forthegeneral fund amounting to P473,154,643.00 and supplementalappropriationno. 1 for the special account amounting to P25,693, 947.00.

They also called all barangay captains yesterday to explain why they had to slash the budget which is mostly items under the Capital Outlay consisting of infrastructure projects.

Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairman of the committee on budget and finance, said they wanted to explain to the barangay captains their decision to postpone the budget and just include it in the 2012 Annual Budget because most infrastructure projects proposed for funding are located in the barangays.

Osmeña said that the captains apparently understand the situation after their explanation and there was no negative reaction from them.

“They understood naman. We told them that wala mi magbabag, that the truth is there is no money to spend. And we assured them that the slashed items will be funded under the Annual Budget,” she said.

The items approved under the SB 2 include the P30 million for fuel, P67 million for electricity, P28 million for the allowance of barangay captains and councilmen, P7.2 million for the salary of day care workers, P2 million for renovation of CCMC and P3 million for the improvement of Guba Community Hospital.

The council also approved the P15 million for the repair and construction of bridges, P1 million for the construction of permanent bone chamber in Lorega, P4 million financial assistance to the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, P49 million for salaries and wages of CITOM Personnel, another P4 million for the operation of DWUP, P7 million for the Cebu City Medical Center, P7 million for Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor and P2 million for the local development fund and environmental management program.

Also approved were the P29 million price escalation claim of TOA Corporation for its work at the SRP, P85 million for the senior citizen’s P1,000 increase, P7.5 million to purchase medical equipment, P10 million for scholars, P10 million for the livelihood assistance program and P6.8 million for the additional honorarium of environmental enforcers.

Funds will be sourced from realignment of continuing appropriation in 2008, 2009 and 2010, from the retained operating surplus amounting to P331 million, from reversion of accounts payable amounting to P52 million and Transfers from Trust Fund Property amounting to P36 million. — (FREEMAN)