Special meeting for Rama’s SB-2

CEBU, Philippines - A separate discussion will be held tomorrow on the “most urgent” portion of the Supplemental Budget 2 (SB-2), which is the source of funds for barangays to comply with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) requirement for monetary counterpart for the barangay polls.

This was agreed by both legislative and executive department officials during yesterday’s first budget hearing for SB 2 submitted earlier by Mayor Michael Rama.

“This matter (due money to Comelec) is the most urgent part of the SB 2. We cannot also just allow in our conscience to approve the entire budget proposal just because there are urgent matters,” said Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairperson of the Council’s committee on budget and finance.

Members of the local finance committee will meet with Osmeña specially to discuss how the city can come up with sources of funds considering the deadline for the required monetary counterpart from the barangays is this Friday.

Comelec Cebu City North and South District election officers, Atty. Marchel Sarno and Atty. Edwin Cadungog, have submitted a breakdown of amounts for each of the barangays. The Comelec expects to collect a total of P14.7 million from the all 80 barangays.

At the budget hearing yesterday, Sarno explained that even half of the due amount will do just to guarantee that there will be enough funds to run the barangay elections.

“I believe half will do. Because the P500 transpo and P1k additional honorarium will be given only after the election,” Sarno said.

He explained that compensation for election technicians will be sourced out from the monetary counterpart of the barangays. 

Sarno said the Comelec only wanted to be assured that the barangays, through the city government, can transfer the funds by Friday, the deadline with the contribution.

The options now lie with SB-2, as well as the barangays’ share of the Real Property Tax as discussed during Friday’s Association of Barangay Council (ABC) general assembly with Sarno as guest speaker.

The so-called barrio fund may be tapped, but this may have to require a resolution from each of the 80 barangays authorizing use of the same.

These options will be discussed in tomorrow’s special meeting at the office of Osmeña after the regular legislative session and before the start of the executive session.

Meanwhile, the Council also asked the executive department to prove that the sources of funds identified in SB-2 have not been previously tapped in the previous SBs. This after Osmeña noted similarities in the sources of funds from previous SBs and the proposed P256- million SB-2.

These include funds from reclassified and realigned infrastructure project that Osmeña noted to have exactly the same amount as that in SB-2 for 2012, which was P27,430,925.

Osmeña then asked the engineering department to prove that the projects will no longer be implemented.

Former councilor Joey Daluz assured to provide the Council the required documents tomorrow. The next budget hearing, which will tackle the remaining components of SB-2 will take place on Thursday afternoon.  (FREEMAN)