City Hall dept heads to show up for budget hearing

CEBU City Hall’s department heads will appear in today’s City Council budget hearing to justify their allocation in the proposed P11.8-billion budget for next year.

Mayor Michael Rama said he is confident that the department heads can justify the budget even as he took potshots at the City Council for tapping a budget expert to help prepare for their review of the city’s proposed budget.

“I thought the budget was a joke? If it was a joke, they have to get their lessons from a comedian,” said Rama.

The budget expert served as consultant to Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district.

Osmeña, whose wife Councilor Margot Osmeña is the council’s budget committee chairperson, is the vice chairman of the congressional budget committee.

Rama said his department heads will come prepared to defend his executive budget and answer questions on where to source their revenues.

“So long as it is the regular schedule for the budget hearing, the department heads will attend,” he said.

The mayor declined to say if he would be present at the budget hearing.

Rama appeared and delivered a message in an earlier hearing, which the council called to discuss his supplemental budget 2.

“It is a prerogative of the mayor to attend the budget hearing or not,” Rama said.

The council agreed to discuss the 2012 budget as a whole instead of handing over the task to the budget committee.

The council also agreed to open their discussion to the public, something that has not happened in the past.

They asked eight department heads, which includes City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo, Budget Officer Nelfa Briones and planning officer Alipio Bacalso to appear in today’s budget hearing.

The council has until Dec. 31 to pass the city’s 2012 budget. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac