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Friday, May 19, 2006
Board delays release of P1-T allowance to ComVal employees
THE much-waited release of the P1,000 additional compensation allowance (ACA) for the provincial employees of Compostela Valley is in peril of being delayed.
This is due to the political difference between the majority of the Provincial Board and the Office of the Governor of the said province.
The Supplemental Budget (SB) 1 that was forwarded by the executive department to the board for approval, amounting to P62,434,022.94, included the P6 million budget for the ACA for employees from January to June.
The Provincial Board committee on economics, budget, finance and appropriation headed by board member Arturo Uy however revised the original budget for the ACA and increased it to P10.8 million by slashing on the budget of other items in the SB 1.
Among the items slashed of budget wa the gasoline for the governor's office amounting to P1 million.
The budget for the tourism program, human resource development program, financial assistance for capability-building of barangay officials and the maintenance and operation of the Provincial Drug Abuse Council (PDAC) were also slashed.
A total of P4.8 million was slashed by the SP from various items in SB 1 and added the same to the original budget for the ACA, raising it from P6 million to P10.8 million.
With this, board member Kristin Caballero reminded her colleagues that what the committee had done is illegal, saying that the law prohibits the increase on the amount on any proposed budget.
"We can only decrease the amount but never increase it," Caballero said.
But Uy explained what they did was not illegal since the total amount of the proposed SB 1 remains pegged at P62,434,022.94.
Uy claimed to have consulted their move with officials of the Department of Budget Management (DBM) who allegedly said that the slashing of the budget and adding it to the ACA is legal and within the power of the board.
Due to the dissenting opinion, the SP decided to have a nominal voting on the passing of the revised SB 1.
Seven voted in favor of passing the revised SB1 while four voted against.
For this, the revised SB 1 is approved on 2nd reading and will now be subjected for final approval on 3rd reading next Wednesday.
Uy said they expect Governor Jose Caballero to veto the revised SB 1. He warned though that if this is done then the much awaited release of the additional allowance for the provincial employees in time for the school opening would be delayed. (BOT)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (May 19, 2006 issue)
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