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Friday, February 13, 2004
Borrowed funds for war chest?
By Gingging A. Campaña
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
A FLOOD of artesian wells, a flurry of sports tournaments in the barangays and the distribution of electric pumps and water hoses in the mountain villages.
With the election less than three months away, the Cebu City adminis-tration’s war chest is filling up, but an opposition councilor warns the entire city could end up paying the bill.
Some P196 million was allocated for the delivery of general services in its first supplemental budget, for which the Cebu City Government identified a P120-million domestic loan as its source of funds.
Only P80 million will be taken from the retained surplus in 2003.
“Therefore, mangutang diay ta alang sa ilang pagpangampanya? (City Hall will borrow money to pay for their campaign?)” said Councilor Carmelita Piramide.
The councilor vowed to study the proposed P201.11-million supplemental budget on her own, because no one from the opposition bloc is a member of the committee on budget and finance.
Piramide pointed out that most of the services, including the P23.5 million in extra cash gifts to City Hall workers, were charged to the supplemental budget.
Timing
“When it was time to be generous, he (Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña) was not generous. Last Christmas, when the workers should have been happy, he refused to help them. Karon na lang kay hapit na man election (He’s only doing this with the elections at hand),” she told Sun.Star yesterday.
Osmeña gave each City Hall employee some P1,000 in extra Christmas bonuses last year. Employees, however, will be getting P5,000 each during the 67th Charter Day celebration on Feb. 24.
Last year, the mayor told councilors they could spend up to P10 million each for projects, but that this was limited only to his allies. (“That’s what you call a war chest,” he had told reporters.) At least P32 million was also earmarked for the barangays, again limited only to those led by administration supporters.
Although some of the services planned for this year are being distributed already, confusion on who should arrange for the distribution of the sports materials, specifically lighting facilities for various sports complexes, surfaced among Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) councilors.
Some north district councilors asked why Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem’s staff at the Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) should be the ones to distribute the lighting facilities to the mountain barangays, when the requests were coursed through the councilors’ offices.
Jakosalem said it’s the project of the sports commission under the mayor’s office, so it’s justified that they should do the work.
He, however, down-played insinuations that he personally delivered the lighting facilities to the barangays, which could be to his advantage. “But I never did that.”
For review
The proposed budget has been referred to the committee on budget and finance for review and for a series of budget hearings among department heads.
Some P6.39 million worth of artesian wells, pipes, reservoirs, electric pumps and water hoses will be bought or constructed under the first supplemental budget.
This is already on top of the P39.5-million budget for the 5,000 sodium lamps that the City is buying from a Belgian company.
However, some 3 million worth of projects under the water system were not yet identified.
Some P8.72 million was also allocated for the construction and repair of various drainage projects in the urban barangays. About P4 million of this, however, still has to be identified.
City Hall will be spending some P4.85 million for sports development pro-jects in its inter-barangay sports tournament.
As proposed, P1.76 million will go to cash prizes and sports supplies; P640,800 will be used for the inter-sitio tournament in 12 barangays in the north district; and P547,000 for the volleyball tournaments in different barangays.
Agreements
Although the budget for the P179,000 worth of lighting facilities for some 80 gyms in various bara-ngays was approved in 2003, the mercury bulbs, electrical wires and its accessories arrived early this year, in time for the distribution that started last week.
Jakosalem said this is the first time the City gave sets—one 1,000 watt-mercury bulb and two 500-watt mercury bulbs, accessories and electrical wires—to the barangays that need the facilities, so they can hold their basketball and volleyball tournaments at night.
However, its distribution need not be coursed through the district councilors.
“We understand that there has been an internal agreement among councilors that each will be allocated for their distribution,” said an aide to a BO-PK councilor, who asked not to be named.
Although Piramide got some 70 basketball balls and volleyballs for distribution to her constituents last year, she anticipates that the minority will not get anything now that the election is approaching.
Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr.’s office got about 90 balls last year. But BO-PK councilors had given out some 250 each.
“It will really be difficult for us to get a chance to deliver general services to our constituents because we are in the opposition. Even if Councilor Gabuya is living in Cogon-Pardo, he won’t be able to give because this is already under Councilor (Gerardo) Carillo,” said an aide of Councilor Gabuya, who asked not to be named.
(February 13, 2004 issue)
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