Cebu budget war now in court

CEBU — Warring provincial capitol officials have now brought their battle over the annual budget of the province to the courts.

The majority bloc in the provincial board filed the other day a petition for declaratory relief against Gov. Pablo Garcia, questioning his authority to veto certain items in the P967-million provincial budget for 2001 after the governor declared it null and void.

The group, led by board member and budget committee chairman John Henry Gregory Osmeña, said Garcia left the board with no choice but to file the case.

"We have no choice. The governor has shown disregard for this body," Osmeña said.

Garcia had proposed a P1.1-billion budget to the provincial board, but it was slashed by P165 million upon reaching Osmeña’s committee.

Most of the items scrapped from the budget were allocations for the offices of the governor, provincial engineer and health officer.

When the budget was returned to Garcia after its approval last Feb. 5, Garcia reinstated his original proposal and challenged opposition board members to override his veto.

Garcia said the approved budget was invalid since the deleted items were not reflected in the accompanying appropriations ordinance but in a separate budget which Osmeña prepared.

He said changes made in the budget did not bear his signatures or that of the budget officer and provincial treasurer. He said this only goes to show the "lawless usurpation of authority" by the majority bloc.

Budget matters have long been the source of debates between Garcia and eight of the board members who are known allies of his bitter political enemy, Sen. John "Sonny" Osmeña.

In 1999, Garcia also vetoed the annual budget approved by the board, citing massive discrepancies, and re-enacted the provincial budget that year. — Freeman News Service