Unpaid fiscals, P8M power bill for Cebu City

ASIDE from unpaid power bills and a low  fuel supply, Cebu City Hall has to scrounge for additional funds to pay for  allowances of Cebu City prosecutors.

City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete said the allowances were suspended last June because there was no mor fund to support the increased  stipend re granted by the mayor from P10,000 a month to P18,000 starting  January 2012.

“What was included in the 2012 budget was only enough to cover their P10,000 monthly allowances and not the increase,” said Poblete.

Mayor Rama said he didn’t order any cut in allowances to prosecutors and assured that “everyone will be paid.”

The mayor said the city still has savings and collectibles from which to source their payment.

Poblete said city prosecutors were earlier warned about the effect of raising their allowances to P18,000 each.

After the mayor’s office identifies  a new fund source, Poblete said,  a supplemental appropriation will be requested from the  City Council.

He said the funding would have been included in the supplemental budget 2 but the Local Finance Committee included more urgent items like payables.

Mayor Rama said they are in talks with Phoenix Petroleum Philippines to provide fuel on credit for City Hall’s vehicles.

Rama said he doesn’t want the city government “held hostage” by the council’s refusal to pass Supplemental Budget 2 which includes a P30 million outlay  for additional fuel purchases.

Among the fund sources being considered is an  unspent P22 million from the city’s disaster fund and another P5 million from the mayor’s discretionary fund.

City Hall also has an unpaid P8 million power bill from  the Visayan Electric Co.

The Carbon Market complex lost its power supply for nearly an hour starting 7 a.m. last Friday.

Poblete said the outlay for the city’s electricity payment is also part of SB2 under review for almost a month by the city council.

“Power to the market wasn’t cut. There was a miscommunication,” he said. The unpaid bill was accumulated two years ago. He said they’re negotiating for Veco to waive the  penalties and surcharges.

The P100 million fuel allocation which the council approved in the 2012 budget was already depleted by  September.

Fuel is being rationed for barangay vehicles which receive 300 litters of gasoline per month instead of the usual 200 litters.