BANTAYAN’S municipal budget has become the center of a power struggle. The council wants barangays to manage their own projects. The mayor wants tighter control of spending. The dispute has now reached a turning point after the council voted to override the mayor’s veto of a major realignment.
The big question
Why did the Municipal Council override the mayor’s veto, and how will the P39 million realignment affect barangays?
What triggered the conflict
The council approved a P39 million realignment in the 2025 Appropriation Ordinance. The money shifts “savings and underutilized funds” to financial assistance for 25 barangays.
Mayor Orlando Layese vetoed the item.
During its Nov. 12 session, the council passed Resolution 744 to reinstate the realignment. The vote exceeded the two-thirds threshold required to override a veto. The council argued it has the legal authority under the Local Government Code to modify and realign appropriations.
What the money will fund
The realignment supports projects focused on basic services and development needs in Bantayan’s barangays. These include a variety of infrastructure projects such as farm-to-market roads, access routes, concreting and rehabilitation of barangay roads, drainage systems and the expansion of water systems.
In the areas of agriculture and livelihood, the funds will be used for coastal resource management, the procurement of agricultural equipment and heavy machinery for land preparation.
Lastly, community facilities will also see improvements, specifically the Civil Development Center and various tourism sites.
The council also adopted Supplemental Budgets 1, 2 and 3, covering additional equipment purchases, emergency works and smaller barangay requests such as road grading and street lighting.
Why the council pushed back
Vice Mayor Art Despi said the dispute traces back to the Beautiful Bantayan Ordinance, passed in June. The ordinance created a barangay empowerment program that asked barangays to identify their own priority projects.
Funding for those projects appeared in Supplemental Budget 3. Layese vetoed it.
Despi said that if the veto stood, the executive would retain full control of the funds and barangays would lose the chance to carry out the development plans they had already prepared.
This is not the first time the council has reversed the mayor. Despi recalled a previous veto override involving the creation of a monitoring unit for the beautification program, which the council authorized the vice mayor to handle after the mayor’s office did not create the unit.
How the process works
A vetoed ordinance becomes ineffective if the council overrides it with at least two-thirds of its members. Once overridden, the ordinance is treated as if the mayor signed it.
The mayor may still appeal the action to the Provincial Board (PB) or the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Aside from the realignment, the council also approved Resolution 248 adopting Appropriation Ordinance 7. This measure implements Supplemental Budget 7 worth P46.5 million for municipal programs.
What this means for barangays
More control over their own projects. Barangays can proceed with development plans set earlier this year.
Faster rollout of small-scale works. Projects such as road repairs, water system upgrades and agricultural support often stall when funding is centralized.
A clear signal of council direction. The council is asserting a stronger hand in how local funds should be managed.
What to watch next
The mayor may challenge the override. If the dispute reaches the PB or the DILG, the review could delay implementation.
For now, barangays expect the funds to move and projects to begin once the realignment takes effect. / CDF, EHP