HRD office wants travel budget back

CEBU – The Human Resource Department Office of Cebu City officer-in-charge Ralph Sevilla is requesting the City Council for the reinstatement of its budget for traveling expenses after he found out they were not allotted a budget for such in the 2009 budget.

In his letter to Councilor Jose Daluz III, the chairman of the council committee budget and finance, Sevilla said he was informed that the item for traveling expenses was removed from his office budget for next year for failing to appear during the budget deliberation of the said committee.

"The deletion and/or removal of the item for traveling expenses from HRDO's budget will not seriously affect me personally but the office itself, and to a greater extent the Cebu city government," Sevilla said in his letter.

Sevilla said the budget is the source for traveling allowance of HRDO personnel who are tasked to submit appointment papers with the Civil Service Commission and to transact with the said office pertaining to all civil service matters.

Sevilla explained in his letter that he failed to attend the said deliberation as he was dealing with several important and more pressing concerns at the time.

Sevilla added that the budget for traveling expenses has been there for several years with the amount staying the same and they are not asking for any increase. 

The council is set to approve during their regular session on Wednesday the 2009 Annual Budget of the city government amounting to P2,484,979,199.94 after it was already deferred twice. – Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/BRP (THE FREEMAN)