Rama aides quizzed on SB2 fund sources

DELIBERATIONS on the proposed supplemental budget 2 (SB2) for Cebu City were deadlocked yesterday.

Questions were raised over claims of a 30 percent shortfall in revenue targets, with three months left in the year and “excess” collection in business taxes.

Councilor Margot Osmeña, head of the budget committee questioned the logic of reporting a shortfall in raising P6.4 billion revenue this year and claiming an excess collection of P106 million in business taxes.

In the proposed P256 billion SB2, the “excess” collection was identified as one of the sources of the new appropriation.

“Can this be done?” Osmeña asked.

“Can this (P106 million excess collection) be considered a surplus? But don’t we look at the budget as a whole? At this point, we have not even reached our collection target,” she said.

OIC city treasurer Diwa Cuevas told the council that her office has collected P3.9 billion of the year’s P6.4 billion target with a shortfall of P2.5 billion.

Aside from Cuevas, Jose Marie Poblete, the city administrator and planning officer; Jose Daluz III, and some department heads appeared in yesterday’s budget hearing to answer queries from the council.

However, at the end of the hearing, it was not clear if the budget committee will finish its report and submit the proposed SB2 for deliberation in the regular session tomorrow. There is no work today – a special holiday in observance of the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice (Eid’l Adha).  /Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac