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Thursday, May 08, 2003
City Council approves P651M for 2nd supplemental budget
By Jasmin G. Suma-oy
Of Sun.Star Cebu
THE Cebu City Council approved the second supplemental budget of P651.96 million, including the P17 million for the “Tommy and Tony Health Program.”
But during the regular session yesterday, Vice Mayor Michael Rama and the councilors lamented that the program doesn’t give them credit even though they are the ones appropriating funds for it.
Also, Councilor Gerardo Carillo requested that the five percent mandatory budget for gender and development (GAD) programs be included the next time the City prepares another budget.
“It should be the Cebu City Health Program,” the vice mayor said during the discussion.
The P8.5 million from the P17-million budget for the health program will be coursed through the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, and the other half through the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).
Councilor Carmen Piramide voted for the approval of the budget but expressed her reservation on Section 7, which provides the appropriation for the health program.
The approved supplemental budget also includes P152.35 million for the South Reclamation Project.
This will go to the following: P50 million for the partial payment of the City’s local counterpart to Toyo Construction; P99.66 million for the capitalized interest on consultancy and civil works and the progress billing payments for consultancy services; and P2.68 million for the supplemental contract for road right-of-way acquisition.
Beneficiaries of the joint project of Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Rep. Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south district) can avail themselves of free medicines, laboratory examinations and other medical services at the CCMC.
During the budget hearing earlier yesterday, Councilor Danilo Fernan questioned the P17-million appropriation.
City Administrator Juan Saul Montecillo explained that the City is swapping the amount for the funds Cuenco appropriated from his congressional initiative fund for the road widening on Escario St.
During the session, Fernan expressed apprehension that the road widening might not be implemented, considering that the Department of Public Works and Highways said the whole project will cost P60 million.
But except for Piramide, who registered her reservation, all the members of the council present approved the budget.
Carillo also asked why the proposed P5 million for GAD projects was not included in the supplemental budget.
Montecillo explained that the request for funding was received by his office yesterday and the proposed budget was submitted last April 25 yet.
The city administrator promised that these will be included in the third supplemental budget.
Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, chair of the committee on budget, explained that the City had substantially complied with law requirements considering that it had appropriated millions for its programs for children, women and family affairs.
It was suggested that in every proposed budget, a summary of the appropriations qualified under the GAD shall be presented.
Raising appropriations for loan repayments was also suggested.
The local finance committee, however, manifested that it is not advisable to immediately increase the appropriations for it because this will affect the debt servicing percentage.
Budgeting rules provide that debt servicing should not exceed 20 percent of the total budget.
Aside from Montecillo, SRP manager Paul Villarete, Assistant City Accountant Stella Paculaba, City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva and Budget Officer Nelfa Briones attended the budget hearing.
(May 8, 2003 issue)
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