Council questions expenses of ASAP board

CEBU, Philippines - The City Council has questioned the move of the Social Amelioration Program  board to use its funds for purposes outside its mandate.

Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairperson of the committee on budget and finance, said the board used its money to buy monobloc chairs amounting to P120,000 for five mountain barangays; t-shirts worth P50,000; packed lunch worth P150,000; equipment and office supplies for various offices worth P333,000; and freezers for the Cebu City Zoo worth P90,000.

These items are reportedly not among the “ideal projects” that board implements like “supplemental daily feeding”.

 Councilor James Cuenco also cited the purchase of packed meals for 280 people worth  \freP140,000  or P500 each; 36 other packed meals worth P18,000; 3,550 packed meals worth P355,000 and 18 meals with snacks worth P9,000.  “These items are highly questionable,” Councilor Sisinio Andales stressed.

 In an executive session, ASAP Chairperson, Dr. Lucelle Mercado, explained that the monobloc chairs went to the barangay programs while the packed meals were intended for the city’s nutrition program and other activities.  She further said the packed lunches were for the trainings and seminars of the nutrition council held in different hotels, but Osmeña argued this was an unnecessary expense.

“Why did you not have it at the social hall? Why the hotel? It defeats the purpose of ASAP to feed the needy children. That should not be the case,” Osmeña said.

 “Some of the charges are not part of ASAP. Spending and funding items that are not part of your mandate. That’s unfair. Please, stick on the stipulated guidelines of ASAP,” she added.  With this, she stressed that there is a need to revisit the ordinance for it to be more “adaptable.”

 This year, the city appropriated P15 million for ASAP projects. Of this amount, 40 percent or P6 million goes to the barangays. The city government gave ASAP a budget of P22 million last year, which was an increased by 47.5 percent in the appropriated budget for the program in 2012 at P14,910,956.

 The ordinance is intended to generate more funds that can be used for poverty reduction and social amelioration projects for women and children, specifically in health, nutrition and education.  The board is “mandated to create a program of amelioration, set its implementing rules and regulations to ensure equitable application and sustainability as well as guarantee that maximum benefits are given to those who are socially-disadvantaged.” — /JMO (FREEMAN)