Sunday, September 10, 2006
Council digs into calamity funding for int'l summit
By Oscar C. Pineda
CEBU CITY -- Can a local government unit use its calamity fund though no disaster has struck?
The Lapu-Lapu City Council thinks so, and declared the whole city under "imminent danger of calamity" because of the December summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
It also authorized the release of P10 million from its P27-million calamity fund.
Not all members agreed, however, with Councilor Eugene Espedido calling the move "a grand scheme of ransacking the treasury of the City" using the Asean Summit as an excuse.
The proponent, Councilor Damian Gomez, said he did not intend it that way. He said only a portion of the City's calamity fund will be tapped.
He cited as basis the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) joint circulars that expanded the definition of "calamity."
It now includes terrorism and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars).
The law mandates that each local government unit set aside five percent of its budget as calamity fund, which can also be tapped for disaster preparedness programs.
In last Wednesday's session, the City Council approved a resolution declaring an "imminent danger of calamity in the city in relation to the upcoming Asean Summit," and an ordinance authorizing the mayor to use P10 million from the P27-million calamity fund.
Of the amount, P3 million is for communication equipment, P2 million for motor vehicles, and P3 million for PNP Swat logistics and building fixtures.
At least P2 million will cover the P4,000 allowance for each of 500 policemen, for four months.
Colleagues prevailed over Espedido when the matter was put to a vote; he and Councilor Ramon Patalinjug were the only ones against the measures.
In an interview Saturday, Espedido said he is not against the City preparing and spending for the summit.
"But I cannot agree that the forthcoming summit should be a cause to disregard existing procedures," he told Sun.Star.
He said he cannot imagine how the summit can cause a calamity. "To spend for security, yes; but use it (P10 million) for what the fund is intended," he told colleagues.
For his part, Gomez said while it is true that the City receives financial support from the National Government, it has a greater stake in the international gathering, as most heads of state would stay in the city's hotels.
The City Government, he said, is just preparing by making use of the fund to equip the police and to secure the summit.
He cited the recent news on the alleged New People's Army (NPA) plan to disrupt the summit.
"For us, that already poses an imminent danger," he added.
Other City Councils also suffered criticisms over their use of calamity funds.
Last month, state auditors advised Talisay City not to drain its calamity fund by taking "adequate controls."
About 95 percent or P8.6 million of its P11.1-million calamity fund in 2005 was spent for disaster preparedness and other programs instead of actual calamities.
For example, the City Council charged the P3-million sanitary landfill's construction to the calamity fund in December last year.
In August last year, Cebu City was also questioned for declaring a state of calamity because of rising dengue fever cases. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(September 10, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
