Friday, August 15, 2008 Opposition to question supplemental budget
MANDAUE City’s opposition-dominated council found four of the five items in the proposed P205.5-million supplemental budget questionable and asked for more documents for them to study.
Only the Department of General Services’ request for repair and maintenance was justified, according to Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna, while the rest lacked supporting documents.
Fortuna referred to P1.403 million in unpaid fuel and lubricants; the P10-million fund being requested by the city engineer; the purchase of P10 million worth of vehicles and P18 million worth of heavy equipment; and the P13-million batching plant.
Fortuna and the opposition councilors were not fully convinced by City Budget Officer Lamberto Marababol’s answer to their queries.
The vice mayor said he was surprised because when they asked Marababol about the P1.4 million worth of fuel and oil lubricants, the budget officers only showed billing statements from the Petron Service Center.
No documents were shown to explain how the fuel station computed how much the City Government owes them, said Fortuna.
When asked how the City Budget Office consumed P35,376 worth of fuel and lubricants from July 1 to 31, Marababol answered that some officials from other departments used their vehicles. But he did not identify these officials or give specific dates when their vehicles were used.
This prompted the councilors to ask Marababol to submit supporting documents on how the fuel station came up with such an amount, and he assured them that he will comply.
As for the city engineer’s request for P10 million, the vice mayor pointed out that its Annual Investment Plan (AIP) remains unimplemented, long after the council approved a P59.3-million budget for it.
The council asked City Engineer Antonio Sanchez to identify the projects where the P10-million budget will go. Some members were surprised when told that the engineer’s office is still securing purchase requests for the AIP projects, already eight months into the year.
The council also asked for a list of City-owned vehicles, where they are assigned and their condition, when the proposed purchase of new vehicles and surplus heavy equipment came up for discussion.
Fortuna said he was worried that while the City would spend only P18 million to buy surplus heavy equipment, these units will eventually cost the City more in terms of maintenance and repair.
Feasibility study
The councilors deferred approval of the planned batching plant, pending presentation of a feasibility study, cost recovery mechanisms and a plan to address environmental concerns.
Fortuna earlier questioned the inclusion of P35 million in the proposed supplemental budget, for programs and the wages of job-order workers.
Fortuna raised the possibility that the City might have “ghost employees” among its job-order workers.
When sought for reaction, the mayor’s special projects consultant, Edmund Sanchez, appealed to the councilors to spare the job-order workers.
He said these 1,700 workers assigned in offices, the Traffic Enforcement and Management group, and “clean and green” projects have families who will suffer if the council excludes their pay from the supplemental budget.
“Bahala na nang ubang mga items and heavy equipment, kasweldohan lang ang mga tawo (The other items and heavy equipment can wait, as long as the workers get paid),” said Sanchez.
He also defended the city engineer who apparently failed to answer councilors’ queries because the engineer is new to the post, previously held by Dario Mago.
He further explained that a reconditioned bulldozer would cost about P20 million less than a new unit. He said the City can buy a new unit, but the mayor does not want to burden the city with another loan.
As for ghost employees, Sanchez said the mayor already got rid of them when he assumed his post last year.
“Nangluod man gani mga tawo ni Jonas kay wa kasud og trabaho unya nagpabilin ang karaang mga tawo sa previous administration (Some of the mayor’s people were even slighted when they could not get jobs, while those hired by the previous administration stayed in place),” he said. (OCP)
