Council asked to approve ‘urgent’ supplemental budget

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama said he wants the City Council to convene tomorrow and review his proposed Supplemental Budget 2 amounting to P256.8 million.

Rama said the SB2 will cover “urgent, necessary” expenses of the city including the P14.7 million needed by 80 barangays to augment the cost of the Oct. 28 barangay elections.

The amount also includes the release of allowances to prosecutors and law enforcers serving the city.

A copy of SB2 was received by the City Council secretariat late Friday afternoon at 4:27 p.m.

“How can we have a special session when we haven’t even seen a copy of the proposed budget?” said Councilor Margot Osmeña, budget committee chairperson.

Public services takes the largest share in Rama’s SB2 with P192 million, followed by the subsidy to national government agencies at P62.3 million, allowances for police at P39.5 million and social services at P27.1 million.

Also prioritized are the payment of terminal leave benefits at P25 million, economic services at P23.7 million, landfill supplies and payment of tipping fees at P21.6 million, other services at P14 million.

Specific use

The SB2 likewise includes assistance to the judiciary at P12.9 million, the renovation of the city hall annex building and additional construction on the 9th floor at P10.5 million.

The city will also pay for the asphalting of roads at P10 million, purchases of additional patrol vehicles and fuel at P10 million each.

Funding for the budget will be taken from business taxes at P106 million and reversion of accounts payables from 2010 and below at P46.8 million and the 2012 budget surplus at P41.4 million.

The city will also include realignments of continuing appropriations for 2010 to 2011 at P36 million, 2000 to 2004 Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) differences at P21.6 million and reversion of prior years’ accounts at P5 million.

Floro Casas Jr. of the City Legal Office asked barangay officials to wait for the passage of SB2 to settle their Comelec dues rather than take part of their P6.6 million aid as payment.

Councilor Osmeña met with election officers Marchel Sarno (north district) and Edwin Cadungog (south district) to look into the possibility of using part of the city’s aid of P6.6 million each for the 80 barangays to pay off their election dues.

Casas said the 2013 budget ordinance specifies that the P528 million appropriation for aid to barangays “is so specific that it limits the use of the account only to various projects of the barangays.”