ILOILO City Councilor Plaridel Nava has rejected the budget intended for the proposed projects of Mayor Jose Espinosa III.
As the newly designated City Council’s majority floor leader and committee chairman on appropriations, Nava passed the proposed Supplemental Budget No. 3 with the exemption of Espinosa’s proposed projects.
“The sources of funds are in order and substantiated. However, this Committee is not convinced with the two items in the expenditures and therefore it must be rejected and shall remain unappropriated,” Nava’s committee report stated.
Supplemental budget No. 3 amounts to P130 million but this was decreased to P45 million with the junking of Espinosa’s proposed projects.
During the City Council’s session on October 16, Nava rejected Espinosa’s proposed land development and site embankment and compaction for the proposed construction of Iloilo City Sports arena in Barangay San Pedro in the district of Molo in the amount of P35 million.
Another disallowed budget is the P50 million for the multi-purpose building for office at KER and company site.
“For the same reason, the appropriation of the said items is not practical and necessary at this stage when the city is facing with numerous problems like the bad state its public markets, drainage system, access roads and viaduct in the depressed areas,” the committee report stated.
Previously, councilors Eduardo Peñaredondo and R Leone Gerochi were removed from their committee chairmanships through a resolution signed by eight of the councilors namely Jose Efrain Treñas III, Lady Julie Grace Baronda, Ely Estante, Jr., Armand Parcon, Maria Irene Ong, Leila Luntao, Nava and Joshua Alim.
These councilors were recognized to run under Congressman Jerry Treñas’ camp in the 2019 elections while Peñaredondo and Gerochi are allies of Espinosa.