Opposition fails to override veto

CEBU, Philippines - Opposition members in the Cebu City Council failed to gather enough numbers to override the line veto of Mayor Tomas Osmeña on the P7.2 billion Annual Budget for the city’s operation this year.

During the council’s regular session yesterday, nine voted against overriding Osmeña’s veto. Only seven opposition councilors voted to override.

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, the council’s presiding officer, said that under the Local Government Code, 12 councilors are needed to override the veto.

It was Councilor Jose Daluz III who moved to override the mayor’s line veto on Sections 10, 14, and 15 of the Annual Budget.

Section 10 of the budget requires the executive department to seek approval from the council on projects it will implement before it can hire job order workers.

Osmeña, in his veto message, said the executive department will only comply with the rules set by the Civil Service Commission on hiring job orders workers.

Daluz explained, “I think the reason for putting up of this provision is to emphasize that job order hiring, there must be approval of the local project in the hiring of the job order employees.”

Osmeña also vetoed Section 14, which mandates additional requirements in releasing the allowances of barangay workers.

The mayor objected to the provision, which says, “releases of allowances to barangay tanods, garbage collectors, street sweepers, lupong tagapamayapa, barangay environmental officers, shall be supported with appointments duly signed by the respective barangay captains.”

Daluz said this provision is necessary since the barangay captains are the ones administering the barangays.

“The barangay should be involved in the identification of health workers,” he said.

Osmeña vetoed Section 15, which says that funds appropriated for Drugs and Medicines, Medical Supplies and Medical Assistance program shall be exclusively for the City's Hospitalization and Medicine Program (CHAMP).

The council wants the P138 million budget solely for CHAMP and should not include the hiring of job personnel for the Long Life Medical Assistance Program.

But Osmeña vetoed the item, saying the provision is not related to the oversight function of the council.

Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, chairperson of the council committee on budget and finance, said budget items in the items the mayor has vetoed will be reenacted.

She said those budget allocations in the 2016 budget will be used to fund the vetoed items like the vetoed item decreasing from P22.6 million to one peso for the Food Expenses for the City Jail. This means, the city government can still give food to the City Jail.

The councilors who voted to override the veto were Daluz, Pesquera, Jerry Guardo, Raymond Alvin Garcia, Joel Garganera, James Cuenco, Phillip Zafra, Pastor Alcover,Jr., and Eduardo Rama.

Those who voted against were Margarita Osmeña, Sisinio Andales, Eugenio Gabuya, Jr., Alvin Arcilla, Nendell Hanz Abella, Mary Ann de los Santos, and Joy Augustus Young. Councilor David Tumulak was out during the voting. (FREEMAN)