P159M SB-3 approved Budget committee head Margarita Osmeña, however, abstained

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council yesterday approved this year’s Supplemental Budget (SB)-3, which includes the P20,000 each of the City Hall employees, including the city councilors, would get as calamity assistance.

Of the original amount of P140.31million for the general fund proper requested by the executive department, only P133 million was approved because the proposed P17 million in tipping fees for the disposal of garbage in a private sanitary landfill in Consolacion, Cebu for October to December this year was reduced to P10 million.

The SB-3 was proposed to cover urgent and necessary expenses under the General Fund Proper amounting to P140.31million and P26.31 million for special accounts.

“SB-3 is to cover essential expenses for the personal services and operating expenses items,” said City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete.

The bulk of the general fund (P61. 14 million) is meant to finance the P20,000 calamity assistance for the 3,700 of the 4,700 City Hall regular and casual employees.  The remaining 1,000 employees would have their P20,000 sourced from the special accounts.

The assistance would be given whether or not the City Hall employees were affected by the Nov. 15 earthquake that struck Cebu and Bohol and the Nov. 8 super typhoon that ravaged the Visayas region.

City Councilor Sisinio Andales, who authored the measure granting the calamity assistance, based the amount on the recommendation of the City’s Program on Awards and Incentives for Service Excellence (Praise) committee.

The P20,000 would be released on or before Dec. 30 in full tranche and not by installment, as requested by City Councilor Eugenio Gabuya.

City Councilor Alvin Dizon also said the amount should be released “good cash” and not through ATM withdrawal.

Even though majority of her colleagues approved SB-3, Majority Floor Leader Margarita Osmeña abstained from the voting.

Osmeña and City Councilor Lea Japson earlier said they would not claim their share of the calamity assistance.

“We are paying ourselves and not paying first our obligations,” Osmeña said during the special session yesterday.

She said the City still has millions in payables, which include P92 million for the scholarship program of the city, P55 million City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Programs (CHAMP), P50 million for the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (LDRRMC), P8.7 million Barangay Environmental Officers (BEOs), and P22 million for the Persons with Disabilities (PWD).

“We still have obligations and it’s already cruel not to pay them,” she said.

SB-3 also includes P47 million for the allowances of members of the judiciary.

During the deliberation of the SB-3 yesterday, Cebu City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas said the City collects an average of P10 million a day in miscellaneous, business tax and real property tax since the start of December there would be enough revenue to fund SB-3.

When asked by Osmeña if what she meant is that the City can fund SB-3, Diwa said “Yes”.

Also, City Budget Officer Nelfa Briones said they have identified total savings of P140.3 million for the general fund, including P139 million from personnel services, and maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE).

She said that of the P139 million, P29 million was saved because some employees were terminated, not renewed, or retired; while P110 million was the identified savings from the gain and loss account of the South Road Properties (SRP) loan.

Osmeña argued that “the funds are not yet realized and there are no revenue measures yet”.

“The funds should be realized not estimated part of the general fund and new revenue collection,” she said.

Diwa said the city has P1.12 billion cash in banks.

Osmeña said there is no argument that the city has cash in banks; she is, however, questioning why there are still huge payables.

“We do have enough funds. Is this fund over and above to fund the SB-3 and not just a mere realignment? At what expense we are not paying the others?” she said.

Diwa answered that the City has “receivables” that includes P40 million from the Japanese Retirement Facility at the SRP, P7 million from Bigfoot Entertainment, P50 million from auctioned properties, among others.

Also, Filinvest Land, Inc. has already remitted at least P159 million as the City’s share in the sales and proceeds and as partial payment of the minimum return for first phase of its residential project at the SRP. (FREEMAN)