DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte said she would impose policies to City Council members on how to use their P3 million budget from the city's Annual Development Fund (ADF).
With her decision to cut the city's peace and order fund next year to give way to more projects for other city departments, Duterte said she would not cut the allotted budget for each City Councilor but would "tell them how it should be used."
"No, I will not (trim down their budget) but I will give them policies on how to use their P3 million so that dili masayang ang ilang allocated na ADF (so their budget from the ADF would not go to waste)," Duterte said Thursday at the Central 911 Office where she met with heads of law enforcing agencies.
Duterte also said she will insist on city councilors to consider first the city's priority infrastructure projects before planning their own projects for their districts.
"I'm thinking that it should be directed or in tandem of the plans of the executive department regarding the infrastructure for the districts. Kinahanglan musulod sila sa among plano para dili masayang ang programa nila ug trabaho nila ug namo (It should be that they do their project planning in accordance to ours so that the program, and their work and our work would not go to waste)" Duterte said.
Duterte said this year's budget for peace and order is pegged at P900 million.
She will still discuss with her team how the budget can be allocated so that other departments can fund their programs that will still redound to ensuring peace and order in the city, she said after signing the memorandum of agreement (MOA) to continue the implementation of the Davao City Oplan Laban sa Terorismo (DColt) this year.
In answer to queries on how she will deal with alleged corruption in the council, she said, "No soft projects, all hard projects and it should be na magsunod sa (and it should follow the) development plan sa executive department."
Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte made it clear that corruption will not be tolerated in the council.
"Kung naay musulti nako nga ingani-ingana naay nidawat isulti nako (If someone would tell me somebody received this and that, I would talk about it openly). Kung musulod ang Ombudsman (If the Ombudsman asks) I would say this is what I heard," he said.
The vice mayor recognized that the usual subject questioned involving corruption is in the approval of development plans such as in housing.
"Especially in the approval of certain measures touching subdivisions, mao gyud ning paborito even before. Basig maayo ani i-publish nato sa website kung unsa pay mga pending nga resolution for conversion. Na, here are the things to be taken up by the City Council (Perhaps it would be best if we publish online the resolutions pending so the public would know that here are the things to be taken up by the City Council)," Duterte said.
Duterte also directed the media to take the initiative. (Jade C. Zaldivar/Sunnex)