THE Cebu City Council approved in final deliberation the 2024 second Supplemental Budget (SB2) worth P384 million to fund various scholarship programs and additional budget for garbage collection and disposal program, among others, during its regular session Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024.
Councilor Noel Wenceslao, who authored the ordinance, said a chunk of the SB2 will be for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) to fund miscellaneous services of garbage collection and disposal amounting to around P145 million. The Department of Public Services (DPS) initially asked for a budget of P445 million, but this was slashed to P300 million.
It will also cover the MOOE for the paving of various streets, among others, under the Department of Engineering and Public Works amounting to P100 million.
The SB2 also allocated P39 million for the scholarship program under the Office of the Mayor to settle scholars’ tuition.
Wenceslao added that the P384 million also includes P10 million to settle payables of the City Administrator’s Office and P70 million to fund various drugs and medicine expenses, reinforce manpower and the purchase of reagents for chemical test under the City Health Department.
Another P26 million was allocated for the capital outlay for the procurement of Information and Communication Technology equipment to digitalize and modernize the collection and storing of patients’ data at the Cebu City Medical Center.
He said there was also an allocation for the purchase of one garbage truck each for Barangay Sambag 2 and Barangay Mabolo, and the installation of an LED display panel at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Councilor Nestor Archival questioned some of the items, including the additional budget allocation for the garbage collection and disposal program.
Archival said what they agreed during the discussion of the 2024 budget proposal was the allocation of around P20 million for the construction of a material recovery facility (MRF) in lieu of garbage collection and disposal.
Wenceslao clarified that the council can reduce the proposed budget, however, it cannot add a new program or allocation outside the executive’s budget proposal.
He recommended the inclusion of P20 million for the MRF under the Annual Budget 2025 as part of the City’s solid waste management program.
Councilor Franklyn Ong urged the City Planning and Development Office to include the budget for the MRF in the Annual Investment Plan and the 2025 Annual Budget.
Meanwhile, Councilor Philipp Zafra urged the executive department to resume the “no segregation, no collection” policy to help enforce the City’s solid waste management plan.
Zafra said that this will reduce the increasing expenses of the City Government in terms of the tipping fee every time it dumps garbage at the landfill. / EHP