Capitol dep’t. heads fail anew to show up at PB

IN HIS privilege speech last Monday, Provincial Board (PB) PB Member Arleigh Sitoy assured Capitol finance officials that his proposed resolution requesting them to appear before the board is intended only “in aid of legislation.”

Sitoy assured the Capitol officials the resolution is not meant to run after them.

The officials have yet to appear before the session despite repeated requests from the PB.

In his resolution, Sitoy invited Provincial Planning and Development Officer Adolfo Quiroga, Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre, Provincial Budget Officer Emme Gingoyon and Provincial Accountant Emmanuel Guial to appear before the PB.

The move aims to aid the PB “in formulating guidelines relative to the 2013 budget by answering queries on the disbursement of Provincial funds.”

The officials were invited in last week’s session but none of them showed up last Monday.

The PB discussed the resolution after Sitoy’s privilege speech.

Amendment

One amendment introduced in the resolution, to which Sitoy agreed, is to request the governor instead to allow the officials to attend the session.

The PB deferred the passage of Sitoy’s resolution until next week’s session, subject to amendments.

“The resolution was not intended to trigger any investigation,” Sitoy said in his privilege speech, more so “prosecute” them.

He added that he only wanted to verify what Sun.Star Cebu columnists Pacheco Seares and Bobby Nalzaro said in their columns last August that the PB granted P87-million lump sum calamity fund yet legislators did not authorize how it would be spent.

Sitoy said the veracity of the articles would enable legislators to rethink their approach in evaluating the 2013 budget.

Sitoy stressed that his intention is purely in aid of legislation adding that “it is not intended to arrogate unto ourselves the powers and functions of the Ombudsman or COA (Commission on Audit).”

He said his attempt to summon the officials showed “our stand on check-and-balance.”

“We check on the executive for any indiscretion in the use of public funds. But we also create a balance when we author and pass priority legislation of the governor, which we find meritorious,” Sitoy said in his privilege speech.