Cagayan de Oro mayor at war with council over budget cuts

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – Mayor Oscar Moreno is now at war with members of the majority block at the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) over the city’s annual budget due to Moreno’s refusal to allow councilors to possess discretionary funds, according to a Moreno ally.

Councilor Eric Salcedo said that the majority block – identified with defeated mayoral candidate Vicente Emano – reduced the proposed P2.6-billion annual budget significantly that Moreno’s government would have difficulty addressing public needs.

Salcedo said members of the Emano faction also “negotiated” with the minority block (to which Salcedo has been allied with since the last election) — to ask Moreno to allow insertions amounting to P1 million in discretionary funds for each councilor.

He said the majority’s demand was made known to them during an informal meeting on the budget at the office of the city council secretary.

Another Moreno ally, Councilor Lourdes Darimbang attested to Salcedo’s claim.

Salcedo and Darimbang said they knew Moreno would not approve of the planned insertions.

As a result, Moreno’s proposed budget of P2.6 billion was slashed by about P300 million. Many of the deleted provisions pertained to funds for the mayor’s office, including for intelligence gathering and support to poor Philhealth beneficiaries.

When the 2014 budget was finally approved last week, Moreno vetoed many of its provisions.

“It was illegal as the deletions, changes and insertions were not allowed by law and by the rules and regulations of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM),” Moreno said in explaining the veto.

Moreno said the move of the city council majority was clearly aimed at paralyzing him while ensuring they had the funds to sustain what they had in mind.

He said while the reduction of the proposed budget was within the power of the city council, “it should however, be premised on genuine economy measures, motives and prudence in government spending, and uniformly applied.”

He said it was obvious the majority block wanted to retain their discretionary fund but they reduced the Philhealth budget for poor residents, which has been “contrary and prejudicial to public welfare.”

Councilor President Elipe, a son-in-law of Emano, defended the budget cut, saying it was based on a conservative projection of the city’s annual income.

Vice Mayor Cesar Ian Acenas, another Emano ally, said Moreno’s allies were trying to paint the majority bad.

He turned the table on Salcedo by saying the proposed insertion for discretionary fund came from the minority itself.

He said to clear the issue, Salcedo should name names.

Moreno, meanwhile, accused Emano – who has since returned to city hall as a consultant to the city council – of “calling the shots.”

“But let me remind them that I am the mayor of this city and he (Emano) can wait for 2016 and I will defeat him again,” he said.