Council questions P271.7M unspent budget under LDF

CEBU, Philippines - Some members of the Cebu City Council have questioned the P271.7-million unspent under the city’s Local Development Fund for this year.

The amount is the balance of the P586.6-million appropriation for LDF that has not been utilized yet, according to its Status of Appropriations, Obligations, and Balances as of October 15, 2015.

During the council’s budget hearing yesterday, it was shown that the unused budget include P20 million for the renovation and improvement of barangay health centers; P80 million for the garbage collection vehicles for 80 barangays; P50 million livelihood programs for local development projects; P80 million for disaster response and rescue-related equipment for the 80 barangays; and P13.5 for health facility enhancement; among others.

These projects should be implemented since these have been approved already, said Councilor Margarita Osmeña, who chairs council committee on budget and finance.

“Approved na ‘ni, but why wala pa nagamit?” she asked.

According to Cebu City Development Council acting secretary Engineer Oscar Abordo, the city’s engineering department is already processing the program of works and estimates of some these projects.

“Dili man maapas sa engineering department ang pag-prepare sa POWE sa kadaghan sa projects,” he said.

Osmeña asked Abordo if the unimplemented projects would be carried out for next year. In response, Abordo said these projects are approved and appropriated for this year.

“Ang wala na-approve ug na-appropriate nga projects this year, mao to’y i-apil for next year,” he added.

Osmeña asked him how the CDC prioritized the projects listed under the LDF, he said projects that were not appropriated this year will go back to the barangays.

He said CDC will ask the barangays to resubmit their prioritized projects for next year so that these would be included in the proposal.

Osmeña, who is also a member of CDC, said she has been attending the meetings of CDC but the body is not guiding the prioritization of the barangays.

“Ang mahitabo is mura’g wish list lang and some barangays are getting so much projects while the others do not,” she said.

But Abordo said CDC is asking all 80 barangays in the city a limitation of P7 million worth of projects under LDF.

Further, Osmeña and Councilors Alvin Dizon, Nida Cabrera, and Sisinio Andales questioned the proposed P386.1 million worth of projects charged to the LDF.

Osmeña and Dizon said the Commission on Audit has told the city government that projects charged to this account should only include development projects.

Under the Local Government Code, “each local government unit shall appropriate in its annual budget no less than 20 percent of its annual internal revenue allotment for development projects.”

Abordo said the city is proposing a little over than 20 percent of its annual internal revenue allotment. The city has a P1-billion IRA share in a year.

The proposed budget questioned was the P15 million construction or renovation of the Cebu City Health Building; P2 million rehabilitation of health and birthing center in Barangay Busay; P7 million construction of health center in Sirao; P3 million rehabilitation of multi-purpose hall in Budlaan; P5 million construction of multipurpose building in Sambag I; and other improvement of multi-purpose centers in different barangays in the city.

Osmeña said any renovation, rehabilitation or construction of multi-purpose buildings is not allowed by COA.

“Pointless nga ibutang diha but ma-disallow lang. Sayang ba because it could be used for other projects nga pwede,” she said.

Abordo said, though, that CDC is carrying projects that were proposed by the barangays.

With this, Osmeña asked Abordo to guide barangay officials of the projects allowed by COA. — (FREEMAN)