City defends lavish budget

CEBU, Philippines — Amidst criticism, the Cebu City Government has defended its P10.6-million budget for the Independence Day celebration this year, saying it is the city’s way of moving forward.

Cebu City’s new budget officer and former City Legal Office head, lawyer Jerone Castillo, said that amount was needed for the different activities lined up on that day.

“Tan-awa sad ang purpose, mo-define man sad ang parameters,” Castillo said, while emphasizing it is for a government purpose.

The bulk of the budget is allocated for the Barangayan sa Sugbo Festival of Festivals with P7.7 million. This amount includes the prizes, subsidy for the participating barangays, judges’ honorarium, and production cost.

An Independence Day Ball is also set later at night with close to P1.4 million earmarked for it.

Other expenses as itemized for this year’s Independence Day celebration include shirts, food, program, flaglets, tarpaulins, and a photo exhibit and other expenses.

Late last month, the City Council approved a P10,597,000 budget in line with the Philippine Independence Day activities sponsored by the city government out of the resolution that Councilor Noel Wenceslao, chairman of the committee on the budget, has filed.

Opposition Councilors Nestor Archival, Mary Ann Delos Santos, and Joy Augustus Young had abstained in the voting.

Archival could not help but comment that, while he supports such celebration, he felt that the budget allocation was too much.

Archival felt the city government could have celebrated such an occasion with a much lower budget, yet meaningful.  And use the money for the poor, instead.

Young, for his part, reportedly said it is just a waste of money.

Wenceslao, in defending his resolution, simply said it was the executive department that prepared the allocation.

The entire country is celebrating its 125th year’s Independence.

This year’s theme “Kalayaan, Kinabukasan, Kasaysayan” (Freedom, Future, History) is the first Independence Day celebration under the new administration and also the first for Rama as the duly elected city mayor anew.

Rama has also set June 12 as a “day of reckoning” when the city aims to be free from mendicants, garbage, vandalism and the likes, as the city government moves forward to its goal of becoming a Singapore-like Cebu City.

“The objectives are clear, we always spend money for anything that is advancing the interest of the city,” added Castillo. — (FREEMAN)