After 8 hours of debate Negros Oriental PB okays P1.7B budget

CEBU, Philippines -  After a tension-filled debate, which ran from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. or about eight hours, the Provincial Board finally approved the more than P1.7-billion budget for 2015 of the Negros Oriental provincial government.

The PB deliberation, during its Wednesday session, was marked with deletions, realignments, reductions and even creation of new items in the proposed budget.

PB Member Liland Estacion said the approval of the budget went through rough sailing, with majority of her colleagues voting to delete the intelligence fund of Governor Roel Degamo, which she said was not in conformity with existing laws.

Estacion said deleting the item was not within the powers of the PB, and transferring the item to another would be like creating a new one, which is again not within the board's jurisdiction. However only two PB members voted against the deletion, thus it was approved by the majority.

Another area of disagreement among the PB members was on the item intended for medical missions, which was the provincial leadership deemed as a tool and strategy to address the health needs of the people in the hinterland barangays.

Estacion, a doctor by profession, argued that transferring the budget to community, primary and district hospitals to hold medical missions would in turn isolate the hinterland people who are not within the catchment areas of the hospitals, especially if there are no hospitals near the area.

When informed of the PB's action, Degamo commented that deleting the intelligence fund from the items clearly manifested lack of knowledge about the PB members' functions as legislators. He believed it was part of the demolition job by some PB members who want to please their "politician-bosses."

As a former legislator himself, Degamo said their job is to either approve, disapprove or reduce the budget provided it is within the same office or department, and transferring the budget from one office to another is like creating a new item, which is none of the legislators' business.

In the same vein, the PB could not change outright an approved resolution from the Peace and Order Council seeking for an allocation of P15 million for peace and order concerns, including the conduct of medical missions as part of the province's anti-insurgency campaign, said Degamo.

To change or remove an item in the budget would need another resolution from the POC, but some PB members seemingly acted as the POC members themselves, which is highly irregular and illegal, the governor said.

Degamo also said the PB made things worse as some of them wanted their allocation of P1.5 million each for their respective projects be placed under the Office of the Vice Governor. "This is stupidity because only the office of the executive department can implement projects, as identified by the PB itself," he said.

The Office of the Governor will yield to changes and amendments provided they are within the bounds of the law, said Degamo and, amid these developments, the Provincial Attorney's Office is now studying his options which is to use his veto power on items that were either deleted or transferred.  (FREEMAN)