104th regular session most controversial -- councilman

COUNCILOR Jerry Yaokasin said the 104th regular session as the most controversial sessions conducted by the City Council members.

“This is the most controversial session we had. I expect that there should be an intelligent discussion, but sad to say, it was approved immediately. Also, some of my colleagues hesitate to participate on the deliberation,” he pointed out.

This statement was made by Yaokasin after the members of the 11th City Council unanimously approved three resolutions that include: the ratification of the term loan agreement between the City Government and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP); the annual investment program (AIP) for Calendar Year 2013; and the local expenditure program or the Annual Budget for 2013.

Yaokasin added the agreement between the City Government and the DBP amounted to P338.4 million, the AIP with P2.5 billion and the city’s 2013 annual budget with P886 million.

“The approval of these matters could be described as a typhoon that occurred inside the SP gallery. They are all approved immediately,” Yaokasin said.

The three resolutions were approved by seven members namely Edwin Chua, Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez, Eden Pineda, Edward Frederick Chua, Edmund Edward Chua, Willy Domingo and Biangco Mate, while Yaokasin was the only one who objected for its passage.

The presiding officer, Vice Mayor Arvin Antoni, relinquished from his post while Councilor Neil Glova asked permission from the body that he would not participate on the deliberation of the matter.

Councilors Jerry Uy, Robert Andrade, and Jeric Dane Granados were absent during their session.

Yaokasin said it is the first in the history of the City Council that the annual budget was approved early.

According to him, since the budget was already approved, there is no assurance that the council would conduct their regular session in the remaining two months of 2012.

“Usually, the last two months we have every year focuses on the budget deliberation,” he said.

Yaokasin said the majority group of the council claimed that the administration of Mayor Alfred Romualdez already conducted a budget hearing at the executive lounge, which he described to be a not proper venue to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, Yaokasin said it is so ironic that the members of the council, who have the duty to scrutinize things has no copy of the different requirements being asked by the DBP management.

“I had to object because we are looking for many documents like the updated BLGF certification and the program of works of the proposed project planned to be implemented by the city government,” he said.

When asked if the three matters are calendared for deliberation, he said it is calendared but the documents were given to the members at 12 noon of Wednesday, which was supposedly to be given to the members 24 hours before the regular session. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)