MABALACAT City Mayor Crisostomo Garbo has assailed the delay in the approval of the city government's supplemental budget amounting to P200 million.
Garbo said the supplemental budget was presented to the Sangguniang Panlungsod more than one month ago.
"It is not disapproved, it is not yet acted upon. It is either approved or disapproved but it is in their office for one month and two weeks already. They have already [conducted] three consecutive committee hearings and all the documents needed for the approval have been submitted to them," the mayor said.
Garbo accused the councilors of being subjective.
"Now, they are being subjective and looking for another justification so we will be submitting to them tomorrow and whatever clarificatory questions we will answer them," he said.
Garbo said the additional funds are intended for the social and health services and the payment of the city government's 2,700 job order employees.
"Actually, this money comes from heaven only. It was a consolidated surplus of the three consecutive years. I just looked for it during my time because I'm the chairman of the committee on appropriations for four terms. These are all basic social and health services and also for the payment of our job order employees who are under the clean and green program, solid waste management, peace and order and others," the local chief executive said.
The city government failed to release the compensation for the job order employees last November 15 because of the supplemental budget has not been approved, according to Garbo.
Vice-Mayor Christian Halili belied Garbo's allegation about a delay.
He told SunStar Pampanga that the documents submitted by the local government's executive department to support the proposed supplemental budget were not properly authenticated.
Aside from this, the executive branch failed to answer the queries of the city councilors regarding the specific details of the budget, he said.