Rama’s generosity questioned

The Cebu City government will no longer extend financial aid to 80 barangays for their projects next year.

While the Rama administration’s generosity to the barangays will have to end for now, the mayor is seeking to double next year’s cash assistance for law enforcers. He is also seeking an additional P25 million as aid to the judiciary which will be spent mostly for allowances to judges, clerks of court, and Regional Trial Court social workers.

For the barangays, all the city is allocating is a counterpart fund of P186.3 million for the honorarium of barangay tanods (P76.9 million), for garbage collectors (P33.7 million), for street sweepers (P191, 808), Lupon ng Tagapamayapa (peace council) members (P43.6 million) and barangay officials’ incentives (P31.6 million).

“What happened to the aid to barangays?” Councilor Margot Osmeña asked in yesterday’s budget hearing.

Liquidation issues

Assistant budget officer Marieta Gumia said that the Local Finance Committee (LFC) did not include an allocation for barangay aid because of the lack of budget proposals.

The city government has appropriated P528 million this year for the 80 barangays.

Gumia said the non-inclusion of the barangay financial assistance in the proposed 2014 budget is borne out of the failure of most barangays to liquidate previous years’ assistance and failure to submit project proposals to the City Hall.

So far, only barangay Lahug started to comply with requirements for the release of their assistance. Other barangays will have to liquidate prior years’ assistance before they will be able to receive their 2013 assistance.

Windfall

If the allowances in the proposed 2014 budget is approved, 1,038 law enforcers which include policemen, maritime police, jail and fire personnel, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation and crime laboratory doctors will receive monthly allowances ranging from P2, 000 to P8,000 from the city government.

The NBI and city police director enjoy the biggest windfall with allowances of P8,000 per month. The NBI executive director and the Cebu City Police Office assistant director have been allotted P7, 000 each.

Another P7.2 million is also being requested for the release of allowances in 2014 for 301 policemen who are newly assigned in the city.

The city government also allocates allowances of P2,500 per month for 171 fire fighters assigned in the city.

“Why so generous? Can we afford all of these?” Osmeña asked during the budget hearing.

Osmeña, the council’s budget committee head, said it is amusing that while the city government is trying to display generosity, they have not even released the allowances of law enforcers and members of the judiciary since July.

“We can approve all these (budget requests) but can we give it?” she said.

“I would like to register my reservations about giving allowances to the judiciary. Are we trying to influence the judiciary by giving them incentives,” said Councilor Alvin Dizon.

Dizon also reminded the council of the directive issued by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima asking members of the judiciary to refrain from accepting allowances from local government units.