Serge wants his aid to City back

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

SEN. Serge Osmeña III will withdraw an additional P1 million aid from the Cebu City Government and realign it to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).

It was earlier reported that Osmeña has withdrawn his P2-million financial assistance to the Cebu City Medical Center, to be transferred to the VSMMC, because of Mayor Michael Rama’s refusal to sign the memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the grant that will be charged to the senator’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (Pdaf).

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The other financial aid amounting to P1 million was for the Cebu City Commission for the Welfare and the Protection of Children (CCWPC).

In a letter to Rama dated Jan. 17, 2012, Osmeña asked for a certification that the P1-million financial assistance to the City’s commission is still available.

Certification

Rama forwarded the letter to City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete.

Certification of availability of funds (CAF) will be issued by the City Treasurer’s Office.

But Assistant City Treasurer Emma Villarete said Osmeña’s letter has yet to be forwarded in her office.

“I hope for your assistance in providing this necessary document as a requirement in the realignment of the aforementioned project,” said Osmeña in a letter.

Agreement

Rama’s refusal to sign the MOA for the CCMC financial aid hinged on the condition in the agreement that requests for assistance will be coursed through the senator’s sister-in-law, Councilor Margarita Osmeña.

Conditions

Rama objected to the stipulation and said he would rather depend on senators who will willingly share the PDAF with CCMC without conditions. Among them are sibling Senators Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano.

Sen. Osmeña said the CAF is among the pertinent documents that the Department of Budget Management (DBM) requires in the realignment procedure.

According to the senator’s 2011 special allotment release order, he has appropriated P3 million as financial assistance to Cebu City for the implementation of its priority programs and projects.

Indigents

The P2 million was for the indigent patients of the Cebu City Medical Center and the P1 million was for the CCWPC.

As early as Aug. 8, 2011, Sen. Osmeña wrote to Budget and Management Sec. Florencio Abad for the transfer of the P1-million aid from CCWPC to VSMMC. No reason was stated in the letter.