Dumdum: Lack of money not town council’s fault

CEBU, Philippines - Asturias Vice Mayor Joel Dumdum cried foul over the allegation of Mayor Alan Adlawan that the municipal council opposed the financial aid supposedly for the town’s contingent to the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan last Saturday.

Dumdum said the fault can be traced to the executive department, which the mayor heads, and not to the council.

He said that on December 15, 2015, the executive proposed P388,515 for the town’s Tourism Development Program but did not attach a program of works. The council then invited tourism officer Mark Supatan to its session to justify the proposal but Supatan said he was only asked to affix his signature to the document.

As stipulated in the session’s transcript, Supatan said he thought a program of works has been attached to the proposal when he signed it and when it was submitted to the council for approval.

Because the council needed a breakdown of the amount, Supatan returned to the session with the program of works but the amount reflected there did not match that in the request. Instead, the program of works stipulated P 1 million.

Dumdum said it was only during its last session for 2015 when the council learned that the P388,515 the executive department requested was for the town’s Sinulog contingent. He said that had the proposal indicated that the amount was for this purpose, the Council would have acted on it before it went on recess.

“Gipangutana namo asa gamiton ang kwarta. Wa sila moingon daan sa request nga para diay sa Sinulog. It is unfair nga moingon si Mayor (Adlawan) nga gibabagan ang pondo,” Dumdum lamented during a press conference yesterday.

It was reportedly because of this that the council moved to postpone discussion on the proposal.

The council would eventually approve on first reading the supplemental budget, which included the proposed P388,515 and referred the same to the council’s committees on tourism and social-cultural affairs and on finance, budget and appropriation for review and recommendation.  However, even before the council could act on the proposal, the executive department withdrew the same.  

Dumdum said it would have been impossible for the council to oppose the proposal because majority of the councilors are Adlawan’s allies.

He said the executive department can still request for funds for Looc Norte National High School, which will participate in the Sinulog Grand Parade this Sunday.

In a separate interview, Adlawan insisted there was a program of works attached to the proposal and a copy of which was with Councilor Dana Andrew Dumdum.

He explained that the bulk of the amount was intended to defray the expenses for the props and costumes, as well as the meals, of more than 500 performers from Asturias.

He said he might as well ask the support from his constituents.

Asturias clinched the top plum in the secondary level of the Sinulog sa Kabataan sa Lalawigan last weekend, besting five other groups. It was the first time for the town to send a contingent.  (FREEMAN)