Capitol offers to lend money to Toledo City to pay electric bills

CEBU, Philippines -  The Capitol is willing to help the city government of Toledo City to restore its power supply after it was disconnected Monday by Cebu Electric Cooperative due to unpaid bills amounting to P1.2 million.

Governor Hilario Davide III yesterday said the provincial government can lend money to Toledo City to pay its bill. Davide said Mayor John Henry "Sonny" Osmeña is just abiding the order of the court restraining him from disbursing the P619 million budget for 2014 following the petition filed by the majority members of the City Council.

"Sa akong panan-aw, gustong tudlo-an og lesson ni Mayor Osmeña ang mi-object sa budget sa Toledo City," the governor said.

The Regional Trial Court has stopped the disbursement of the annual budget following a petition from city councilors who said the approval was illegal because it was done without a quorum.

Osmeña has already filed a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals seeking to reverse the lower court decision that barred him from disbursing the P619 million budget. Davide criticized the court for intervening in the budget discussion.

'Di gyud angay moapil-apil ang korte ani, this is a discussion sa budget," he said.

Davide is hoping the appellate court would act immediately on the petition filed by Osmeña and to resolve the impasse as soon as possible. Osmeña yesterday said some businessmen in the city are also willing to pay the electricity bill to restore power in government offices and the street lights.

Except for the jail and hospital facilities, all government offices in Toledo City lost electricity after the Cebeco III disconnected it last Monday. The City Council on Monday passed a resolution requesting Osmeña to direct the city treasurer to pay the electricity bills and the salaries of the employees using the reenacted budget.

Councilor Helen Jill Espinosa said the local government unit cannot stop functioning because there is a pending case on the annual budget. The majority members of the council cited Section 323 of the Local Government Code which provides that only the annual appropriations for salaries and wages of existing positions, statutory contractual obligations, and essential operating expenses authorized in the annual and supplemental budgets for the preceding year shall be deemed re-enacted, and disbursement of funds shall be in accordance therewith.  (FREEMAN)