City utilizes P300M allotted to CCMC

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City executive department has terminated its time deposit amounting to P300 million appropriated for the construction of the Cebu City Medical Center to fund the city’s payables this month.

This was disclosed by City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas before the City Council which requested her appearance to explain the remaining P5,000 cash aid to senior citizens this year.

Cuevas said at least P263 million of the withdrawn amount will be utilized for the financial assistance to some 6,000 senior citizens in the amount of P163 million, P20 million for CCMC subsidy, and P6.5 million for the honorarium of barangay officials, among others.

Of the P5,000 cash aid to each qualified elderly, P3,000 will be distributed on December 22 while the remaining P2,000 on the second week of January next year.

City Councilor Sisinio Andales questioned the move of the executive department, saying that withdrawing the money allocated for the construction of the CCMC is contrary to the priority of the mayor.

“We want to be clarified because the priority of the Office of the Mayor is CCMC. Why is it that we have to withdraw the time deposit for CCMC?” Andales asked.

Cuevas, in response, said the allocation would still be idle until January next year anyway when the construction of the public hospital starts.

“Come January sir, I am very sure that I can replace it,” Cuevas told Andales.

Councilor Margarita Osmeña, for her part, said the city government has been violating an ordinance that grants P12,000 annual cash assistance to the senior citizens. Last year, the city failed to release the full amount, she said.

According to Cuevas, while the amount for the financial assistance had already been appropriated, it would still depend on the availability of funds.

She added that this has also been the practice of previous city treasurers, which should be corrected, saying this year’s earnings are not enough to fund what the city are spending.

“It seems that we are using next year’s income to pay for this year’s obligation. So, what happens to next year’s obligation? We are losing next year’s income,” Osmeña said.

Councilor Alvin Dizon said he also worried about the city’s current state of finances, to which Cuevas replied by admitting that it really is “not in good shape.”

“We are not in a good shape because our collections for this year are being used for the payables which were incurred two years ago,” said the city treasurer. — (FREEMAN)