Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Dad scores P.6M travel budget
By Christine Mae A. Pelayo
“IT’S a travel junket in aid of reelection.”
Thus said Councilor Archie Baribar, chairman of the committee on finance, as he criticized Mayor Luzviminda Valdez for allocating close to P700,000 for a five-day travel of 47 public officials.
The officials’ travel order is for the Familiarization Workshop and Learning Visit to the Best Practices and Projects of the Local Government Units covering Angeles, Dagupan, San Fernando (La Union), Baguio and Bulacan, on June 2 to 6.
Valdez’ travel order was addressed to the city government’s various department heads, office chiefs, executive assistants, chiefs of staff, and other allied national officers.
The participants’ transportation and all other expenses regarding the workshop shall be chargeable to their respective offices’ budget and subject to the usual accounting and auditing regulations.
Each participant has an allocation of P14,556.
However, Baribar said there is a need for Valdez to explain the travel order.
“We essentially need it (workshop), but with the way things are being run now, I think the mayor has to explain why she can afford this kind of undertaking and yet had a hard time looking for funds for our teachers and our students,” said Baribar.
Moreover, some government officials who refused to be named, said some participating officials who were listed in the travel order should not have been included.
They questioned the inclusion of executive assistants and chiefs of staff under the City Mayor’s Office namely Brendo Elegio, Renato Rojo, Wennie Sancho, Joel Lanzar, Engr. Bernabe Sarabia, Marsha Burgos, and Thelma Imutan.
They also questioned the participation to the workshop of allied national officers namely Lawyer Antonio Guinanao of the City Register of Deeds; Senior Insp. Jerry Candido, Bureau of Fire Protection; Senior Supt. George Bajelot, city police director; Connie Palermo, Commission on Audit; and Bacolod Schools Division Supt. Milagros Gonzales, Department of Education.
“They should choose only the appropriate persons to participate in the workshop so as to lessen the cost,” the officials said.
They added that the itineraries do not show any relation to the discussion regarding the trip.
In the itineraries, the participants are supposed to tour around the cities, have project site visits, including dinners, socials and interactions.
(June 25, 2003 issue)
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