Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña (center back to camera), committee on budget chairperson, and Councilors Sisinio Andales (right) and Alvin Arcilla ask questions to Assistant City Administrator Annabeth Cuizon (right) and City Treasurer Juvy Morellos (to Cuizon’s right) during the supplemental budget hearing at the Caucus Room, Cebu City Hall building on May 23, 2018. CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA
CEBU CITY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Seven barangays in Cebu City will be getting back the financial assistance that was earlier taken back from them after the City Council yesterday approved the inclusion in a new supplemental budget (SB) a funding aid totaling P58 million for these barangays.
The request of seven barangays — Buhisan (P8 million), Capitol Site (P8 million), Cogon-Ramos (P8 million), Kinasang-an (P8 million), Pahina Central (P8 million), Talamban (P10 million), and Tejero (P8 million) — to spend the money they returned to the city treasury for their respective projects was included in the proposed SB, said Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña, who chairs the council’s committee on budget and appropriations.
Osmeña stressed that these barangays would be able to get back the financial aid because they completed the conditions set by the Commission on Audit (COA) for them to receive the aid.
“In order to spend, they will have to specify their purposes through a proposal or the development plan. Otherwise, the money will be returned to the general fund,” said Osmeña.
This development came two weeks after Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña waged a legal battle against 58 barangay chiefs allied with the opposition Barug Team Rama – PDP Laban, accusing them of failing to submit liquidation reports of the financial grant disallowed by COA as of December 2017.
The mayor was referring to the P800-million cash aid that former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama granted to all 80 barangays of Cebu City in 2015.
But in February 2016, the COA in Central Visayas (COA-7) issued a notice of disallowance to Rama, acting City Accountant Mark Rossel Solomon, acting City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas, City Budget Officer Marietta Gumia and each of the barangay that received the aid.
State auditors directed them to return the entire money to the city coffers. They pointed out that the barangays should first submit their development plans, and ask for the council’s approval for the project that they wanted to use the money for, citing the city’s Appropriation Ordinance No. 2417 (2015 annual budget).
P106M returned
Records obtained by reporters revealed that as of April 2018, there were only 16 barangays that complied with COA’s instructions, and managed to liquidate and return the money to the city government.
The City Accounting Office’s schedule of unliquidated financial grants showed that as of December 2017, there are a total of 58 barangays that were yet to submit their reports.
Including the seven barangays mentioned earlier, the other barangays that returned the disallowed money were Banilad (P8 million), Busay (P8 million), Kalubihan (P8 million), Kasambagan (P2.2 million), Luz (P2.5 million), Mabini (P62,000), Mabolo (P8.2 million), Mambaling (P10 million), and Sto. Niño (P8 million).
However, they did not submit any proposals, expressing their intentions to get back and spend the money.
This brought to only P106 million, out of the P800 million, the total amount of money that was so far returned to the city treasury.
“While there are barangays who returned the entire amount back to the city treasury, there are also some who have already spent, if not all, portions of it. I think the notice of disallowance came after they already spent it,” explained Margot.
Supplemental budget
Ms Osmeña’s committee, meanwhile, has proposed an additional budget of P469 million for 2018.
The proposal SB was signed by acting City Treasurer Veronica Morelos and acting City Accountant Arlene Rentuza, and is now pending for its approval in the council.
The city’s budget for this year is at P6.2 billion.
The bulk of the proposed SB would go to the city government’s programs on distributing cash aid to senior citizens, which at P208 million, would be around 44 percent of the new supplemental budget.
The mayor also asked to add P20.5 million for the City Administrator’s Office, P15.2 million for the Department of General Services, P8.8 million for the Peace and Order Program, P10 million for the City Health Department, P6 million for the City Transportation Office, and P2.5 million for the City Legal Office.
Ms Osmeña said that the other barangays that wish to spend the financial aid earlier disallowed by the COA could still request before the City Council as long as they will return the money and submit their development plan.
“We can include them in the second supplemental budget. If they simply returned and they cannot submit a proposal, then we cannot grant them. They will have to specify and tell the council how to spend it,” said Margot.
Proposals
Based on the breakdown of their proposals submitted to the City Accounting Office, Barangays Buhisan, Capitol Site, Cogon-Ramos, Kinasang-an, Pahina Central, Talamban, and Tejero are planning to spend their financial grants by implementing projects to improve garbage collection, peace and order by installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and flood-control infrastructure.
All seven barangays also plan to purchase a six-wheeler dump truck to help in their garbage collection. /WITH CNU INTERN NIKKI VILLAGORDA