Council committee done hearing proposed budget

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council's committee on budget and finance has concluded the series of budget hearing on the proposed P7.4 billion annual budget for the operation of the city government next year.

Committee chairperson City Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera said they will submit for deliberation and approval the budget ordinance before the Christmas break.

The executive department's proposed projects include P807 million for the city's financial assistance to registered senior citizens, P600 million for rehabilitation, remediation, and/or closure of the Inayawan landfill, P102 million for the rental of heavy equipment for garbage collection and others, P22 million for miscellaneous purchases related to garbage disposal, P300 million for the reconstruction of the Cebu City Medical Center, P297.69 million for the city's aid to the barangays, P359.3 million for the city's scholarship program, P224.5 million for medical assistance, P50 million for the anti-drug campaign program, among others.

Pesquera said members of the committee on budget and finance will convene within the week to discuss their concerns on the proposed budget so that they would be incorporated in the proposed budget ordinances.

She said the councilors will then discuss the council's action on the new proposals of the executive department, like the Long Life Medical Assistance program, which requires P85 million for the hiring of 600 job order employees.

During the previous budget hearings, the opposition-dominated City Council expressed concern about the program, which the mayor formed to provide free maintenance medicines for illnesses that include but not limited to hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis, and requires the JO employees to bring them to the beneficiaries' homes.

"We still have to discuss. Although ang concern gyud nako ana is kanang dispensing of medicines without the supervision of a pharmacist. Kay even adtong sa atoa before during the administration of mayor Mike Rama, ang sa CHAMP nga dispensing sa medicines, they have their pharmacists didto sa CCMC. But kana man gud, wa gyud responsibility ba," Pesquera said.

She said other items that will be looked into are the proposed P600 million budget to rehabilitate the Inayawan landfill and the P50 million for the anti-drug campaign program of the city, among others.

Asked on the possibility of slashing the proposed budget, Pesquera said the council will deliberate this week on what items whose appropriations would be prioritized and which would be slashed.

She said that as of now she cannot say as to what items would not be approved because the committee members would still meet to discuss the matter.

Sought for comment, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said all items under his "skin and bones" proposed budget are all priorities.

He, however, said he does not have any message to opposition-dominated City Council regarding the budget, saying he will just wait as to the items that will be approved and disapproved.

"My budget is all priority. There's no capriccio there. I'm not going to Europe, I'm not going to  whatever...there's none. No one's going to Boracay," he said.

Osmeña said he will particularly have amendments as to how the disaster funds will be used, instead of just spending them on trainings of disaster teams.

He said he will purchase a fleet of water tankers, saying one of the biggest problems during a major disaster is water.

He also expressed support of the possible construction of new police stations to maintain the peace and order of the city because its current 11 police stations are not enough to cover the 80 barangays of the city. (FREEMAN)