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Thursday, July 17, 2003
DBM okays city’s P600M budget, partial veto
By Christine Mae A. Pelayo
THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved the City Government’s P600 million 2003 budget and sustained Mayor Luzviminda Valdez’ partial veto of items which the City Council inserted.
“The way the budget was presented is good,” said Valdez.
The DBM, in its recommendation, ruled that the council “may not increase the amount proposed by the local executive except, to provide for statutory and contractual obligations.”
The insertion of some expenditure items/projects which were not among the prioritized expenditures, DBM said, violates provisions of Article 415 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Local Government Code of 1991.
Valdez’ vetoed items provided in the budget’s Section 4 are the terminal leave pay, collective negotiations agreement (CNA) signing bonus, loyalty differentials, purchase of dumpsite, land and land improvement, purchase of Medicare, gender advocacy development, aid to 61 barangays, equipment outlay, building and structures outlay, aid to Liga ng mga Barangay, aid to the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Federation, senior citizens, and the People’s Law Enforcement Board (Pleb).
Earlier, Valdez said the terminal leave pay and the CNA were illegally inserted in the budget while some of the items in it were increased.
“The council knew that what they did was not in accordance with the rules in the budget. What’s the bottom line of their action? It seems that there’s malice,” the mayor said.
Valdez added that the 14 colatillas which the council set were irrelevant. The DBM did not even give any attention to it, she added.
On the other hand, Vice Mayor Ramiro Garcia, said they will review DBM’s recommendation and check the implications of its decision to the additional items in the budget.
“We tried our best. The employees can not get their CNA bonus and there is a warning that additional casuals are no longer allowed,” said Garcia.
Councilor Archie Baribar, chairman of the committee on finance, can not be reached for comment as of press deadline yesterday.
Valdez scored the council for inserting the CNA in the budget as she explained that they can still implement the 50 percent of the employees’ CNA despite the conditions set by the Supreme Court.
“We still have an option. We have released the 50 percent last year, the integral part of the whole CNA budget,” she said.
Moreover, Valdez added that the Bacolod City Government Employees Union and other city employees’ cooperatives could look for the city’s cost savings from the city government’s 10 percent Maintenance and other Operating Expenses.
“The fund from the MOOE will come out this year and it will be used to justify the 50 percent of the CNA to be released to the employees,” said Valdez.
She also justified that there is no problem on the workers under the program funds, which includes day care workers.
“We have not created new positions and the additional workers were not placed on the departments as plantilla casuals,” Valdez maintained.
The DBM’s recommendation considered the budget operative in the beginning of the ensuing calendar year subject, however, with certain conditions.
These include:
-The total Personal Services (PS) exceeds by P97,846,980.26 of the total 45 percent limitation provided under Sec. 325 of RA 7160 and LBC No. 75, thus the city can no longer provide for additional PS costs like hiring of casuals and new positions;
-The project funded under the 20 percent Development Fund shall be consistent with the approved Annual Development Plan of the city;
-At least five percent of the total appropriation shall consider the projects identified to support for Gender and Development (GAD) Plan;
-Payment of the Personal Services items shall be subject to existing guidelines;
-And the expenditure program of the mayor correspondingly be adjusted upon receipt of the final Internal Revenue Allotment, (IRA), subject to enactment of a supplemental appropriation.
(July 16, 2003 issue)
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