MORE than half of the Cebu City Government’s budget for its peace and order program this year has not been used, and some city councilors want to find out why.
Out of the P400.5 million approved this year for the program, around P238.9 million remains unspent. The bulk of the unused funds was intended for the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
The council discussed this on Tuesday when they tackled the executive department’s proposed budget for peace and order for 2016, in the amount of more than P278 million. This forms part of the P8.9-billion proposed budget for next year.
“Anugon kaayo ni. Approved budget na baya ni. (What a wasted opportunity. These are approved allocations.) These are very big budgets and were supposed to be implemented,” said Councilor Alvin Arcilla.
Based on the status of appropriations, obligations and balances from the City Budget Office, the P238.9 million in unused funds includes a P50-million appropriation to construct a CCPO building.
It also includes P17 million to renovate the CCPO’s firing range, P93 million for motor vehicles, and P28 million for various police equipment. All these are under capital outlay.
Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairperson of the council’s committee on budget and finance, asked why these funds were not spent yet.
For the CCPO building, Deputy Director for Administration Supt. Artemio Ricabo told the council that they submitted the plans to the Office of the Mayor during the second or third quarter of this year yet.
Osmeña asked if they received a response. Ricabo said they didn’t but they were informally told that it can’t be implemented because the funds were supposed to come from the sale of lots in the South Road Properties (SRP).
For this year’s P13.4-billion approved annual budget, about P4.5 billion was supposed to be funded by the sale of SRP lots.
SRP sale
The council had included a special provision that all capital outlay expenses, amounting to P4.5 billion, would only be implemented upon the disposal of SRP lots.
(The City has received a down payment of some P8.35 billion from Ayala Land, SM and Filinvest. However, lawyer Romulo Torres questioned the sale in court, and the majority bloc in the council has cited his case in explaining why they’d rather that the City not use the money yet.)
But since Mayor Michael Rama vetoed the special provision, the budget and finance committee said, the P4.5 billion for capital outlay can be drawn from any of the City’s funds.
One of this year’s peace and order program expense items is the renovation of the CCPO’s firing range. Ricabo said they were supposed to build a wall around the range, which is near the Cebu Business Park, to protect the community from stray bullets.
“At present, our firing range is open,” he said.
Ricabo said that the police submitted a request to the executive department to use that fund, but nothing happened.
For the budget for police equipment, Ricabo said they have also submitted their request. Among the items they wanted to buy are bulletproof vests and bomb disposal suits.
Councilor Nestor Archival, chairperson of the council’s committee on public order and safety, said he is aware of the matter.
However, the office of the peace and order program said that the PNP’s requests were not signed by a certain Hernani Cañete. All requests to use peace and order funds supposedly need his signature.
Signature
Asked by Osmeña about this, City Budget Officer Marietta Gumia said that as far as she knows, the person authorized to sign any request for the peace and order program is Mayor Michael Rama’s chief of staff Atty. Dominic Diño.
Asked if she knew Cañete, Gumia said he is an administrative aide under the peace and order program.
The council asked Cañete to go to the session hall yesterday but the secretariat was told he couldn’t attend the budget hearing because he was in an “urgent meeting.”
Councilor Arcilla is hoping, though, that the CCPO would push for the use of the peace and order funds, especially for capital outlay. This way, the funds would not revert to the general fund and would be considered “continuing appropriations.”
The other peace and order for this year that have yet to be disbursed include allowances of the police, maritime police and National Bureau of Investigation personnel (P17 million), and firefighters’ allowances (P3.4 million).
These personnel receive monthly allowances ranging from P2,000 to P8,000.
The budget office, though, assured these will be released before the end of the year.
Transfer
Also yesterday, Councilor Sisinio Andales asked Ricabo if Mayor Rama can transfer the office of the tourist police near City Hall to someplace else.
Ricabo answered that the Community Police Action Center (Compact), which is situated on the Plaza Sugbo grounds, was built by the Philippine National Police, using its own funds.
“That (removal) cannot be done because that structure is funded by us. If pag-alisin natin yan, baka ma-question tayo sa COA (If we move it, we might be questioned by the Commission on Audit),” he said.
CCPO Director Marciano Batiancela Jr. said that a transfer would need clearance from their regional office and their head office.
But Mayor Rama, when sought for comment about this, opined there is no longer a need to ask for permission to remove the Compact office.
He said what is important is for the Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission to declare that it is in wrong place as it is blocks the view of Magellan’s Cross.
“It has desecrated the sanctity and heritage value of this vicinity,” he said.