Council wants accounting of P5M Christmas lights

CEBU, Philippines - Where have all the Christmas lights bought four years ago gone?

This question surfaced after the Department of Public Services requested for a P200 million budget for electrical materials to replace existing street lights in the city.

Councilor Alvin Dizon said he was reminded that the P5 million spent to purchase Christmas lights for the city’s streets in 2010 has not been accounted for until today. He said the City Council requested for an itemized report in 2011 but to no avail.

“I was reminded when DPS made mention about the Christmas lighting projects because the 2010 budget for that was not properly accounted,” he said.

Dizon said the P5 million was taken from the 2010 Supplemental Budget-5 under the Office of the Mayor for Christmas street lighting and park enhancement.

At that time, all departments were reportedly given a petty cash advance from the P5.101 million because each department was assigned a street to decorate with Christmas lights. The Commission on Audit, however, questioned the release.

Dizon said the DPS, City Parks and Playground Commission and General Services Office should expedite the submission of a written report “to account the whereabouts of the Christmas lights which the city bought in 2010.”

“The Council is very much interested to know because these are government properties in which public funds were used. We owe it to the city taxpayers. Sayang ug subo pamalandungon giunsa paggasto ug paggamit ang kwarta alang sa street Christmas lights,” he said.

GSO chief Dionisio Gualiza told the council that the lights are now reportedly under the custody of the Parks and Playground Commission.

City Parks and Playground Commission administrator Arlie Gesta clarified that the lights were used until 2012 and some had to be disposed because of defective light bulbs.

“Ang uban gi-stock sa DPS and uban kay ilabay na unta but ato man nakita nga magamit pa so atong gipintalan aron ma-utilize pa kadtong metal frames nga lanterns,” he said.

The commission still utilizes 600 fabricated-metal lantern frames to beautify the city’s streets for the Christmas season, Gesta said.

As far as the latest request of the DPS is concerned, the P200 million will be used to replace lights in barangay streets (P100 million), in major thoroughfares (P70 million), as well as those in mountain barangays (P30 million). — Kristine T. Quintas/JMO (FREEMAN)