Budget office suggests supplemental budget for road restoration project

CEBU, Philippines - Since there is reportedly no existing funds for a proposed road restoration project, the Cebu City Budget Office has recommended that it shall be included either in the supplemental or annual budget.

“There is no existing fund to accommodate the proposed project. We therefore recommend that a resolution be passed authorizing the inclusion in a supplemental or annual budget appropriation to fund said project,” said City Budget Officer Nelfa Briones in her letter to the City Council through Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairperson of the Committee on Budget and Finance.

Osmeña has already endorsed the letter to the council for its next action.

Last August 22, the council had approved a resolution, as moved by Osmeña, requesting the budget officer “to identify the source of fund” for this road project.

At least 57 houses stand to be affected by the project in Barangay Tejero because Mayor Michael Rama wants to clear 10 meters from the road gutter. An official of Tejero, who requested anonymity, said that the 10 meters is too wide and it would affect several residents. The official said that unless the city can provide relocation site for these families they would oppose the demolition.

These 57 families were already sent a final notice by the Prevention Restoration Order Beautification Enhancement Division warning them to remove their illegal structures to make way for the road restoration. The families were supposedly given until August 28, but since the city has not provided them with a resettlement area, as of yesterday, they have not moved out.

Tejero Barangay Captain Jessielou Cadungog earlier asked the city government to suspend the clearing operation until a relocation site is identified.

Cadungog also wanted to ensure that the city has a budget for the payment of the affected private lots and a plan for the said road restoration project.

The plan to restore the original width of Alviola Street stemmed from a fire incident in the area where firemen have difficulty in responding to the fire alarm last year because of narrow access road. — (FREEMAN)