Saturday, August 16, 2008
Heads sued on budget crisis
By Katrina A. Balmaceda
Sun.Star Correspondent
BEARING placards, at least a hundred residents of Compostela town, Cebu went to the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas yesterday morning to file an administrative complaint against four of their town leaders.
They accused Vice Mayor Joel Quiño and Councilors Tessa Cang, Josephine Abing and Joselito Reynes, all members of the town’s committee on finance and appropriation, of failing to perform official functions.
The committee failed and refused to approve the 2008 Sangguniang Bayan budget, which Mayor Ritchie Wagas proposed on Oct. 22 last year.
The mayor’s brother, former Compostela mayor Gilbert Wagas, led the group in filing the complaint.
After the clerk received it, the residents formed a semi-circle around Wagas and shouted their support for the town and the political minority.
Wagas explained that because the budget has gone unapproved, the town is operating on last year’s budget. But it is only limited to salaries and statutory and contractual obligations.
While the budget measure remains unresolved, no new programs can be proposed. Plans like faculty development for public schools, free medicine and free ambulance use were left unimplemented, Wagas said.
Assistant Ombudsman-Visayas Virginia Santiago said they are ready to conduct investigation.
“Let’s hope they will set aside politics this time and render service for the people’s sake,” she said.
In the town of about 39,000 residents, Mayor Wagas is the minority leader while the council members, plus Vice Mayor Quiño, form part of the majority bloc.
Slashed
According to Wagas, the initial proposed budget was P58 million, but the council wanted it slashed down to P48 million.
The deadline for approval of the annual budget is Dec. 31. The residents alleged in their complaint that last Dec. 31, 2007, the committee on finance and appropriation had not yet discussed the 2008 budget.
As provided by the New Local Government Code, the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) was given 90 more days to approve the budget. However, it still did not take up or approve the budget when the extended deadline lapsed on March 31, 2008.
In their session last July 28, the SB session was cancelled because all its members allegedly did not show up.
Citing public interest, Mayor Wagas then called for a special session last Aug. 1. But the council, including Vice Mayor Quiño, was reportedly a no-show.
Arrest
This prompted the temporary presiding officer, Councilor Doque Arceo, to order their arrest. However, the arrest order was never served because the six members allegedly could not be found.
The residents, represented by agricultural technician Danilo Cagang, claimed that the council still did not discuss the budget in their session last Monday.
“It is clear and manifest that (the council) is stalling the approval of the annual budget,” the complaint read in Bisaya.
Cagang added that the failure to approve this year’s budget hit the town hard, especially in agriculture, which is the source of livelihood for many of its residents.
Angelina Duaso, who is part of her barangay’s livelihood project, said that they have not received seeds and fertilizer that the government usually gives for free.
“Napul-an na mi,” Duaso said, echoing words written on some of the residents’ placards: “We are fed up.”
“Enough is enough,” other placards proclaimed, while some protesters toted banners declaring, “SB is guilty”.
Former vice mayor Bernabe Castro also went to the ombudsman’s office in support of the complaint. He called on the SB to “just obey the law” and take “positive action.”
Petition
After asking the ombudsman to investigate the matter, Wagas said he will ask the residents to sign a petition next week asking the council to act on the proposed budget.
“The constituents of Compostela are demanding that the said (councilors) perform their sworn duty as aldermen and that they act on the budget measure - to approve or disapprove it,” read a statement that Wagas handed out.
“By these acts of omission... it is clear that the intention is to cripple the current administration,” it further read.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (August 16, 2008 issue)
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