Wednesday, October 15, 2008 152 San Fernando workers unpaid
LIKE what happened in other local government units, political conflict in San Fernando, Cebu is affecting its own constituents.
Some 152 casuals and job-hire town employees have not yet received their salaries from Sept. to Oct. 15 this year, a source from the town’s engineering office, who asked not to be named, said.
Of the 152 unpaid town workers, 97 are casuals while 55 are job hires.
This developed after the town council has failed to approve the municipality’s 2008 proposed budget worth P69 million since March.
But during their regular session yesterday, the town council reportedly approved the supplemental budget as payment for the town workers’ salaries worth more than P1 million.
Comments
Sun.Star Cebu couldn’t get comments from Mayor Lakambini Reluya and Vice Mayor Antonio Canoy despite repeated calls in their offices.
However, ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol reported that Reluya is questioning the approval of the supplemental budget since the mayor said the council’s move violated certain provisions of the Local Government Code.
The same source said their municipality had been using the reenacted budget of 2007 for their salaries this year.
However, the town’s coffer was “drained” last July yet because of the non-approval of 2008 budget by the town council.
It was learned that the town council, majority of whose members belong to the opposition, slashed the proposed budget by P13 million. But the mayor reportedly vetoed the proposal.
But this is not something new to the public.
The Compostela Municipal Council also refused to approve P47 million for alleged questionable lump sum appropriations submitted by Mayor Ritchie Wagas and job order provisions that may eat up significant chunks of the budget.
But the town council approved on first reading recently the appropriations committee’s version of the town budget worth P47 million. Wagas’ original budget proposal was P58 million.
The council, however, deferred on Aug. 26 its approval on second reading of the measure after the committee on finance asked for more time to look at the “flaws” in the proposed budget. (GMD)
