2013 City investment plan held off for review

Passage of the 2013 annual investment plan (AIP) which lists projects worth  P885 million was deferred yesterday  by the Cebu City Development Council (CCDC) to allow members to review the list of proposed projects.

Busay barangay chairman Eleuterio Sanchez asked to hold off its approval, saying barangay officials may have something “else in mind.”

“There may be others who said this project wasn’t what we requested and there are those who want other projects included,” Sanchez said.

During the budget discussion, an elderly member of the CCDC complained about the lack of projects for senior citizens.

Councilor Jose Daluz III, CCDC co-chairman, sought approval of the  proposed 2013 AIP so it can be sent to the Cebu City Council for review and approval.

Daluz said projects listed on the AIP won’t be discarded and that the AIP will serve as a “continuing proposal that can later be taken up by the council or the mayor.”

“I hope the City Council will also follow (the list of) endorsed projects included in the AIP,” said Sanchez.

Councilor Margot Osmeña, who chairs the council’s finance committee, said the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc in the council  recognizes projects listed on the AIP.

“We will keep it that way. We don’t change it,” she said.

City Director Patricio Gabuya of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said the list of AIP projects should be finalized before submission to the council for approval.

The CDC  also discussed the city government’s failure to implement projects listed under the 2012  AIP.

City Engr. Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez said the program of works and estimates for the 2012 projects were already prepared since February but the contracts cannot be signed.

“Some items in the ordinance listing the priority infrastructure projects that were approved by the council and the mayor aren’t listed in the 2012 AIP,” Enriquez said.

The City Planning Office said the budget office won’t release funds from lump sum appropriations until project costs were specified.

Osmeña said  the projects covered by an ordinance should prevail over those listed in the AIP.

Osmeña said lack of reconciliation between projects listed in the AIP and those approved by the council happened due to delays in the submission of the 2012 AIP to the council.

She said the AIP for the succeeding year had to be submitted for council review and approval before the current fiscal year ends and not next year.

Gabuya  said this incident only showed the lack of coordination between the city engineering and planning office.

Projects listed in the 2013 AIP will be among those funded by the mayor’s budget.

The AIP is funded from the Local Development Fund taken from the city’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share.

The 2013 AIP is broken down into social development projects at P194.3 million, economic development projects at P 593.6 million and environment management/economic projects at P97.3 million.

Heading the list of social development projects is the the lot acquisition for the resettlement of informal settlers at P27 million.

Economic development projects include additional funding of P180 million for the reconstruction of Carbon Market unit II and another P110 million for a new fish market and fish port.

Lot acquisition and construction of Materials Recovery facilities worth P13.1 million is included under the environmental management component along with the acquisition of garbage trucks and drainage improvement projects.

Mayor Michael Rama said he will submit to the City Council secretariat today his draft of the 2013 budget before he leaves for Rome, Italy to attend the canonization rites of Pedro Calungsod.

Rama declined to elaborate on the budget, saying he’s still discussing it with some financial advisors. /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief of Reporters