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Thursday, July 07, 2005
Barangay workers’ honorarium not in P112.9M outlay
By Gingging A. Campaña
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
The Cebu City Council approved yesterday the P112.9-million second supplemental budget for this year, but questioned the executive department’s failure to include the honoraria for barangay workers and pre-approved infrastructure projects in the barangays.
Instead, the City Government prioritized the P11.58-million budget for the salaries of the 110 cum laude graduates, who were hired as casual workers early this year for the Special Department of Innovation and Change.
Some P15 million was also allocated for the cash gifts and yearend bonuses for all employees and officials.
Another prioritized item is the P21.5-million budget to pay the Land Bank of the Philippines, for the interest and principal of the South Reclamation Project (SRP) loan.
Of the amount, some P14.5 million goes to the interest alone. The P7.068 million will be for the first payment for a portion of the principal, due in August.
The finance management committee (Fimac) explained that because of the lack of funds, they had to realign current and continuing appropriations, and set aside the pre-approved projects of some councilors.
During a closed-door budget hearing last July 5, Association of Barangay Councils president Eugenio Faelnar questioned this lapse, considering that barangay workers “are really in need of money.”
City Administrator Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez apologized to the body for not having included the item in the second supplemental budget.
But Fernandez promised that the honoraria will be included in the next supplemental budget, said Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera.
Pesquera, head of the committee on budget and finance, read her report to the body yesterday.
She said that during the hearing, some members of the council asked why several projects, which were already approved by the body and the mayor, were not included.
Short
Councilor Hilario Davide III also asked why the amount appropriated for the grouted riprap in Lusaran was only P550,578, when based on the updated program of works and estimates, the project would cost P700,000.
The Fimac, headed by City Planning and Development Coordinator Nigel Paul Villarete, explained that based on the long list for appropriation, the total funds needed is P140 million.
But the funds available from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) amount only to P32.37 million.
“That’s precisely the reason they had realigned some items from the current appropriations and from the continuing appropriations,” Pesquera reported.
The City Accounting Office and the City Engineering Office have certified as a source of funds the unreleased appropriations for projects “that will no longer be pursued,” which totaled P13.07 million.
Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. suggested that the council be “consulted before finalizing the next supplemental budget, since there are resolutions approved by the body and the mayor that need immediate attention.”
It was agreed during the budget hearing that the P17 million allocated for the purchase of a site and construction of a school in Barangay Ermita be amended, to “construction of school buildings.”
The Fimac identified several sources of funds, including: P3 million in general income accounts or the garbage fees; P31.5 million realigned from current appropriations; P31.02 million realigned from continuing appropriations; and P14.9 million from transfer of funds.
(July 7, 2005 issue)
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