Mayor questions transmission of budget

CEBU, Philippines — Was there any proper transmission of the trimmed annual budget ordinance when Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros signed it on a non-working day?

This question has lingered with Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia after Hontiveros signed the annual budget in his capacity as acting mayor, just a day after the council deliberated and approved it.

Hontiveros said he signed the ordinance in accordance with the process and enacted on it quickly to avoid having a reenacted budget.

In an interview last Friday, Garcia told reporters the information that the budget ordinance had already been signed hadn’t reached his office yet. Garcia went on leave over the last weeks of December 2024, which placed Hontiveros in the acting mayor's role, including during the approval of the annual budget.

With this, Garcia said he would like to ask if there was a transmission from the office of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) Secretariat to the Office of the Acting Mayor.

"Was there a transmission g’yud? And if so, when was the transmission nga Saturdays and Sundays are holidays?" Garcia asked.

He clarified, however, that a mayor can sign at any time but questioned the unclear dates of the transmission.

"If it was transmitted on a Saturday, then it's highly irregular kay wa may tawo diri. Closed man ang SP, closed sad ang office sa acting mayor," Garcia said.

Garcia further said had it been transmitted on Saturday, it would have been "highly irregular”. He added that he simply wanted to be apprised of whether there had been any transmission between the offices.

Previously, Garcia said that the approval of the slashed ?14.6 billion annual budget from his proposal of ?17.9 billion was politically influenced, with votes in favor of the budget standing at eight to seven.

It was approved on Friday, December 27, 2024. Hontiveros confirmed that he signed the budget on a Saturday afternoon after he and his counsel reviewed it alongside SP secretariat lawyer Charisse Piramide.

In an interview with Hontiveros yesterday, he said that even President Bongbong Marcos signed the 2025 budget on December 30 which a holiday. He emphasized that there is no policy barring any official from signing a document on a non-working day.

He added that it only shows that they are prioritizing the approval of the budget to avoid having a reenacted budget.

"Kahibawo man tingali ta nga atong trabaho as public servant is 24/7… And going back, wala mi nabakasyon g’yud ato even on a holidays that's the reason the council conducted a special session on a Friday," he said.

Hontiveros also explained that right after the deliberation, the SP then let Councilor Joy Young, who presided oveer the approval of budget on behalf of then acting Vice Mayor Nestor Archival Sr., sign the budget ordinance before transmitting it to the office of Hontiveros.

He added that a day later, a review of the ordinance was conducted.

Among the slashed budget items were the Economic Recovery and Livelihood Programs, which was reduced to ?1. Garcia said, the livelihood budget allocation was initiated following his assessment of the barangays.

Garcia said that the budget was supposed to help vendors bounce back from the effects of the pandemic in 2020 by providing them with seed capital to start their businesses. He added that this also applied to the proposed livelihood support for farmers.

"Grabe naman sad ang ?1 uy. Sakit kaayo ba. At least, I can pre-qualify," Garcia said.

He added that it would have been a relieving alternative if the budget had given him the capacity to provide at least ?5,000 in assistance to each small business startup. Garcia also said that the same thing would have sufficed for the proposed economic grant.

He also mentioned that in 2024, they were able to extend the first wave of the livelihood program, but it was still not enough, hence the proposed budget that was supposed to continue into this year.

On the possibility that these projects might be advantageous in his mayoral race for the 2025 midterm elections, Garcia said that these programs were different, as they were livelihood programs that push the public to make a living.

He argued that this is different from regular dole-outs that only extend financial assistance.

As for the Digital Traffic Lights System, which was zeroed out from the proposed ?250 million, Garcia said that this could have elevated Cebu City's traditional traffic systems to a digitized one.

It was reported that the alleged “anomalies” behind Cebu City’s Digital Traffic System Phases 1 and 2 came to light as the legislative body sought to probe the legality of the contracts entered into by the previous administration.

The council then requested the Commission on Audit to conduct a fraud audit on the city’s Digital Traffic System project, particularly the contracts with the contractor. They also approved a resolution urging Garcia to withhold payment for Phase 2 of the project until the results of the audit are released.

On the Comprehensive Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation budget, which was slashed from ?200 million to ?1, Garcia also expressed disappointment. He explained that this budget could have helped ease the flood concerns in Cebu City.

"And then ilang reason wa man gud na magamit (last) year (flood control budget) --true enough no, because I wasn't mayor for one year, I was only mayor for half a year, lisod og ako ng i-implement mao ng akong gipabalik this year," Garcia said.

Among the reasons for the budget cuts, the council emphasized that the target revenue for 2024 did not meet the approved budget for the year.

According to Garcia, the premise should have been based on projected revenues for the upcoming year, not on the actual revenue of the previous year.

He added that prior to coming up with his annual budget proposal, it was assessed that the projected revenue for 2025 would be around ?17 billion, which is why he proposed that amount.

Among the income-generating initiatives they are expecting to rely on in 2025 is the granting of a tax holiday for delinquent taxpayers, which may encourage them to pay their taxes on time.

Previously, Councilor James Anthony Cuenco said there is a "new majority" in the council, specifically naming the councilors under BOPK and BARUG Team Rama "teaming up and ganging up against the incumbent."

When asked if he still had the support of the council despite the fallout among legislative members, Garcia said that there are still seven councilors he can count on.

"My former allies, I think they can still be reasoned with, pwede pa nato ma-istorya," Garcia said. (CEBU NEWS)