City Council set to review P10-B budget

THE Cebu City Council will convene on Monday to review the P10.4 billion budget that mayor Michael Rama is asking for next year.

Councilor Margot Osmeña, the council’s budget committee chairman, scheduled three budget hearings per week to deliberate on the budget requests of the different city hall offices.

Marathon budget hearings are scheduled from Nov. 11 to 29.

“We will have to especially see if the city has money to fund all their budget requests and if these are really needed,” Osmeña said.

First to appear in Monday’s budget hearing are the Local Finance Committee that consist of OIC planning officer and city administrator Jose Marie Poblete, budget officer Nelfa Briones and OIC treasurer Diwa Cuevas.

On Thursday, the council will invite Poblete and secretary to the mayor Belinda Navasquez to discuss the budget request of the mayor’s office and offices and special bodies under the said office.

Rama said he will allow his department and office heads to appear during the budget hearings provided that they will not be “cross-examined” and treated like witnesses.

“I cannot put my department heads on trial. The council should only be inquiring,” he said.

Rama submitted to the council his draft of the 2014 budget amounting to P10.5 billion.

The biggest chunk of his budget request amounting to P3.3 billion will be spent on the drainage improvement, river rehabilitation and the construction of water impounding facility.

He is also seeking a P720 million budget for seniors cash aid which will be released at P12,000 per beneficiary and an increase in the scholarship budget to P371 million.

Another P172.4 million is also being proposed for the renovation of the Cebu City Medical Center.

But Rama said the appropriation could be realigned to fund his hospital construction project. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac