Council slashes SB2 by more than half

THE Cebu City Council yesterday cut by more than half Mayor Michael Rama’s proposed P256 million Supplemental Budget No. 2.

What was left out in the approved P124.9 million amount was the outlay for monthly allowances of judges, prosecutors and law enforcers serving the city.

The council also disapproved a P10 million request for road asphalting and P5 million for additional works on the 9th floor of the City Hall executive building.

“We had to work on limited revenues. What we considered a priority was the job order personnel who need their honoraria for day to day subsistence,” said Councilor Margot Osmeña, who heads the budget panel.

Approved items

Among the items approved by the council were a P14.7 million appropriation for mandated contributions of the barangays to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and P10.1 million for terminal leave claims of non-renewed City Hall contractuals.

The council reduced to only P1 million a P6.3 million budget request for use of the Local Risk Reduction Management Fund.

Councilors convened for their regular session under a tent at the Plaza Sugbu yesterday instead of indoors in the wake of Tuesday’s earthquake.

Councilor Noel Wenceslao said allowances for the judiciary and law enforcement agencies will be released if “there are enough available funds.”

Rama’s allies in the council did not oppose the P124.9 million-approved SB2.

Although City Hall reported P106 million in excess collections from other local revenues and another P41 million in retained operating surplus, Osmeña said the City Treasurer’s Office has yet to reach this year’s collection target of P6.4 billion.

The CTO has so far collected 70 percent of its target, she said.

Osmeña said the Commission on Audit prohibits the use of retained operating surpluses. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac