Monday, April 14, 2008 City councilors, including Pe, question Gerry Carillo’s proposed infra projects
QUESTIONS on how the calamity funds should be used prompted the Cebu City Council to defer the approval of P2.1 million worth of infrastructure repairs.
Because this year’s calamity funds cannot be tapped to respond to a disaster that occurred last year yet, the repair of two footbridges was put on hold.
The council, however, approved the resolution declaring all mountain barangays as calamity areas after landslides damaged their roads early this year.
In last Wednesday’s regular session, Councilor Gerardo Carillo proposed a resolution charging to the 2008 calamity funds P921,003.20 for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of a footbridge in Barangay Kalunasan.
The residents use the bridge to get from Lower Kalunasan to the main road.
Carillo also proposed to charge to the same account P1,230,668.96 to restore another footbridge used as access to the Langub Shrine in the same village.
Both footbridges were damaged during the storm Lando last November.
But some councilors opposed the two resolutions, saying these violated certain accounting procedures.
“Can we use this year’s calamity fund for a calamity that was declared last year?” Councilor Augustus Pe Jr. asked.
Pe suggested that they only approve the resolution declaring a state of calamity in the mountain villages.
The use of this year’s calamity funds for infrastructure rehabilitation would only be authorized if a state of calamity is declared anew, which prompted Carillo to defer the approval of the two other resolutions.
He explained that he thought this year’s calamity funds could be used since the funds intended for last year’s rehabilitation works reverted to the 2008 General Funds. The repair projects were not carried out last year.
Section 324 (d) of Republic Act 7160, or the Local Government Code, provides that five percent of the estimated revenue from regular sources should be set aside as annual lump sum appropriation for relief, rehabilitation, and other services in response to calamities.
This year’s calamity fund for Cebu City is P87 million.
“That time, we had problems with charging the amount to the calamity fund. We cannot charge it if the project is not subjected to bidding. Since the declaration was made in November, there was no time to bid out the project,” he said, adding that the book of accounts was closed the following month.
Carillo said he will propose the two resolutions again in their April 23 session. (LCR)
