Council approves P255 million 4th supplemental budget

CEBU, Philippines - The City Council yesterday approved the fourth supplemental budget for 2009 amounting to P255 million, the bigger bulk of which is intended for the purchase of brand new heavy equipment and new city lights.

The heavy equipment for the City Engineering Department’s “asphalt storm” project amounts to P111 million while P7 million will be used to procure new street lights.

The city earlier allocated P30 million for road pavement and retreading, which are part of the “asphalt storm” project, but the budget for the project went down to P8million after the city realigned P22 million to cover the just compensation for the property of Rev. Fr. Vicente Rallos that the city used as a road in 2001.

Councilor Jose Daluz, chairman of the Council’s committee on budget and finance, said there are two sources of funds for the fourth supplemental budget- unallocated funds amounting to P130 million that the city recovered after “cleansing” all Accounting Books since 2006 and the un-appropriated balance for 2009 amounting to P175 million.

Councilor Augustus Pe, chairman of the Council’s committee on police, said the city will purchase bulldozer, backhoe loader, road roller, de-silting machine, swamp excavator, two graders, and two pay loaders to fix many city roads that are already in bad condition.

Meanwhile, Daluz said that P38 million will cover augment the salary of employees pursuant to the increase the city has implemented since July last year.

Another significant appropriation in the fourth supplemental budget is for the construction of a modern slaughterhouse, which costs P6 million.

Daluz said all department heads of the city government successfully defended their respective budgets.

SB1 amounted to P50 million, SB2 was P63 million, while SB3 was P196 million. — Ferliza C. Contratista/JMO (THE FREEMAN)