‘I don’t trust Tessie’

IN picking Asst. City Treasurer Emma Villarete to present the revenue sources of his 2012 budget, Mayor Michael Rama said he doesn’t trust City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo.

“She’s not my treasurer anyway,” Rama said. The mayor was dismayed that Camarillio continued to present the budget to the council despite the walkout of the 20 department heads.

“Unfortunately, someone went to the budget hearing without my authority. That is a very vital matter as far as the executive department is concerned. And so I asked the department heads to come down here at my office,” Rama said.

Due to yesterday’s fallout, Rama said he will write the Finance Department to ask for Camarillo’s replacement.

The city treasurer said she doesn’t feel bad about Rama’s decision.

“I don’t feel bad because this (appearing before the council) is my duty as a member of the local finance committee,” she said.

Camarillo earned the mayor’s ire after admitting that the city may find it difficult to meet the P11.8-billion budget target.

Rama said he didn’t like working with people who lacks his optimism in meeting the budget target.

In her presentation, Camarillo told the council that the 2012 budget would be funded from real property taxes set at P386 million, local taxes at P900 million, and regulatory fees at P100 million.

Other identified revenue sources include business and service income at P350 million, income receipts at P300 million, the city’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) at P1.063 billion.

Major revenue sources that were identified include the sale of government assets at P1 billion, borrowings at P2 billion and proceeds from economic enterprises at P4 billion.

While the council noted that most of the city’s 2012 revenue sources were bloated, Camarillo said these were achievable.

But Councilor Jose Daluz III said it’s still best to stick to a conservative budget estimate. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac and Correspondent Edison delos Angeles