BACOLOD City Mayor Monico Puentevella on Tuesday appealed to the members of the City Council to approve his request for the P225 million supplemental budget, P17. 482 million of which forms part of the obligations of the city to its previous employees and some suppliers.
Puentevella said this is the first time this year that his office requested for a supplemental budget and he hopes the members of the City Council will reconsider his request.
Councilor Em Ang, however, is opposing the reversion of the P17.5- million unexpended fund which covers the city's accounts payable and other payable balances outstanding for more than two years.
Puentevella requested to revert the unappropriated surplus, which includes the terminal benefits of previous city employees and payments to suppliers, former mayors, and other elected officials, banks, schools, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, the municipality of Pulupandan, among others.
Ang said the amount should not be reverted since it was already obligated.
“We appropriated that amount and it’s already expended and others already have checks and obligated by the city but were not released,” she said.
Ang added that she suggested to the City Accounting Office under Corazon Cardel, officer-in charge, if it’s possible to set aside the P17.5 million.
She also does not agree that the fund be reverted because it is not a good practice for the City Government to delay the payment or not to pay its suppliers, contractors, employees and others.
“This will not give a good impression to the city that we are tardy in paying our suppliers and contractors,” Ang said.