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Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Village chiefs hit delay of budget's approval
By Christine Mae A. Pelayo
MAJORITY of the barangay captains in Bacolod City have claimed the delay on the approval of the 2003 executive budget will affect the implementation of the projects tied up under the Annual Investment Plan.
“There were amounts intended for the rural and the urban barangays in the 2003 AIP. With the delay of the budget’s approval, the delivery of projects in the barangays will also be delayed,” Brgy. 3 village head Bridget Tan said.
Tan also defended her co-village heads who attended the Sangguniang Panlungsod session last Thursday to tackle the 2003 executive budget.
There were more than 10 village heads who attended the session, which was also attended by members of the Banaag group, allegedly Mayor Luzviminda Valdez’ anti-recall supporters.
“The Banaag group did not force us to attend the session. We are honorables and it is not good to say that we are just being forced by a certain group. I came there on my own will because I wanted to know the real reason of the delay in the approval of the budget,” said Tan.
She added that most of the village heads who attended the session suggested that the council and the city mayor should meet to discuss and settle the problem.
Tan also said the presence of the concerned village heads during the session was ‘not alarming’ as the city council had claimed earlier.
She said it is the council’s obligation as a legislative body to act on the early approval of the budget.
“There is no need for us to go there but we feel that we are being neglected as barangay leaders, kung magiho kami, may kulba man gali sila,” Tan said.
Moreover, she defended the city mayor’s budget message on the decrease in the development fund.
She said the development fund is not really intended for development projects but for personnel services to cover the wages of the tanods and the barangay health workers.
She added the tanods and the BHWs maintain the peace and order, safety and security, health and sanitation, nutrition and beautification of the barangays.
The committee on finance headed by Councilor Archie Baribar conducted a committee conference yesterday on the additional colatillas for the 2003 budget.
Vice Mayor Ramiro Garcia had earlier said they are bound to approve the budget after two to three sessions. CMP
(January 15, 2003 issue)
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