NEWS BRIEFS

MARGOT: CITY BUDGET TO BE PASSED BEFORE DEC. 31

THE Cebu City Council will pass next year’s budget ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline imposed by the Local Government Code.

Councilor Margot Osmeña gave the assurance yesterday, saying the council will finish reviewing the proposed P6.7 billion budget proposed by Mayor Michael Rama despite the non-appearance of department heads in their hearings.

Under a re-enacted budget, only appropriations for the payment of salaries of regular employees, contractual obligations and the city’s maintenance and other operating expenses will be available.

Osmeña said there would be inadequate appropriation for the salaries of 3,000 casual employees, miscellaneous expenses and financial assistance. “No funds for the annual Sinulog,” she said.

Still, Osmeña said they need the cooperation of department heads to clarify items that they proposed for funding next year.

Among the no-shows were City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete and Belinda Navasquez, Rama’s secretary.

Navasquez is out of the country while Poblete was attending to other concerns of the city.

Philip Zafra, the mayor’s chief of staff, appeared during the budget hearing on their behalf.

She said the council cannot waste its time asking these department heads to appear since they have a deadline to meet.  “Why do we have to wait that long when he can do it now (pass a new budget for 2013)?,” she said. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac

PARALLEL ROAD PROJECT PUSHED

A decade-long proposal to open a parallel road that would decongest traffic at N. Escario Street in Cebu City was revived in yesterday’s meeting at the Regional Development Council (RDC).

Valeriano Avila, RDC private sector representative, said the parallel road project was identified as a priority project but wasn’t pursued by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). “I don’t know what happened,” he said.

The parallel road project will start at the vicinity of the Gaudalupe barangay at the corner of V. Rama avenue and will continue to Mahogani Street located at the Villalon Drive.

It will connect to a portion of Gorordo Avenue located near the University of the Philippines Cebu campus in barangay Lahug.

Avila said the parallel road may also be extended towards the south and cross V. Rama Avenue.

It will connect to Gervacio Quijada Street which passes by the home of Rep. Rep. Tomas Osmeña towards the development site of the Monterrazas de Cebu.

“When we thought of the road project, we did not even think of traffic on Escario Street… This is a project that should have been done yesterday,” he added.

The RDC’s Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) presented the resolution asking the RDC to endorse the road project to DPWH in Central Visayas and list it as a priority under the agency’s investment program.

“I am happy that this (proposal) is being resuscitated by RDC to make it happen,” said Cebu City mayor Michael Rama, the RDC chairperson.

He said rehabilitation works on Singson road and the Singson bridge will complement the road project.

In 2001, the RDC passed a resolution asking DPWH to study the feasibility of opening a road that will connect barangay Guadalupe in the south district and Lahug in the north district and serve as parallel road to N. Escario Street.

“The said resolution was passed due to observations that N. Escario Street, which is a major arterial road linking the southern and northern part of Cebu City, would become congested in a few years,” said the ICD report.

In their Nov. 23 meeting, the IDC discussed the need to already have the needed parallel road.

“The new road link will not only decongest heavy traffic along N. Escario St., but will also improve the road network of Cebu City in particular and Metro Cebu in general,” said the IDC report. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac