No charging of expenses from Business Month to dev’t fund – Margot

CEBU, Philippines - The P3-million expenses of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) during the recently concluded Cebu Business Month 2013 cannot be shouldered by the Cebu City Government if the amount will be charged against the Local Development Fund.

The Cebu City Council’s Committee on Budget and Finance headed by Cebu City Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña did not recommend that the CCCI’s expenses would be shouldered by the City because the government has guidelines on how to spend the development fund which is equivalent to 20 percent of the annual budget of a local government unit.

Upon review of the project proposal of the businessmen’s association, Osmeña said the P3 million requested by Councilors Sisinio Andales and Nida Cabrera would be used to defray the expenses of CCCI like the cost of envelopes, folders and tokens with logos, brochures/flyers, food incurred during the launching, programs and performers, rentals of buses and coasters, equipment and several other equipment.

According to Osmeña, when she reviewed the guidelines on how to spend the Local Development Funds, it was learned that most of the projects covered are for social development and economic development which is more on infrastructure, livelihood and entrepreneurship projects and environmental management.

“Obviously, the abovementioned (expenses of CCCI) are not qualified under the utilization of the Local Development Fund,” Osmeña said.

She added that the matter would not have been a problem if the financial assistance to the CCCI was appropriated by the executive department in the General Fund of the city’s 2013 Annual Budget as it always did in the past years.

“Considering that such activities are worthy of the city’s support, this committee therefore would like to suggest that the executive department look for an appropriate account where the P3 million can be charged,” Osmeña said. —/JPM (FREEMAN)