Cebu City Council approves P1.9 billion supplemental budget

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has approved the Supplemental Budget Number 3 that contains the allocation for aid to affected residents during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) after almost a month-long discussion.

After a six-hour regular session on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, the council, though, decided to decrease the supplemental budget from P3.3 billion down to P1.9 billion in order to focus the city’s funds on urgent expenses related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The council slashed the P240 million budget for a command center, the P100 million budget for an archives building, and the P60 million budget for the renovation of the Legislative Building.

Majority floor leader Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia said the local finance committee decided to heed the advice of some members of the council to remove the infrastructure projects since they are not urgent.

“The focus of the city government should be the fight against the COVID-19,” said Garcia in session.

The breakdown of the slashed down supplemental budget goes as follows: P500 million for COVID 19 aid for residents, P450 million for senior citizens’ financial assistance, P55 million for the financial assistance of persons with disabilities (PWDs), P100 million for the city’s free hospitalization program, P322 million for the hazard pay of City Hall employees and barangay workers, and P500 million for the fast-tracked construction of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).

The total supplemental budget was reduced to P1.9 billion or at least P1.4 billion lower than the initially proposed budget by Mayor Edgardo Labella.

The councilors agreed that the budget will be approved provided that the executive department can present the liquidation of all expenses for the P1 billion the city used on March 2020, and of the expenses using the newly approved supplemental budget.

The council also agreed that the COVID-19 aid should be coursed through the barangays for proper and equal distribution to the residents.

Furthermore, the barangays must provide a list of the barangay workers and frontliners that will be given a hazard pay from the city.

Concerns

Despite majority approving the supplemental budget, some councilors aired out their concerns regarding the P500 million budget allotted for the CCMC.

Minority floor leader, Councilor Nestor Archival was the lone councilor who objected to the supplemental budget due to this budget allotment, which he says is not urgent and not COVID-19 related.

“Dili man na mahuman dayon ang CCMC. Unsaon pagka urgent ana if ig hatag nato sa budget next year pa or in two years pa mahuman? Makasaohan ta ana,” said the minority floor leader.

(The CCMC construction cannot be finished immediately. How can it be urgent when the CCMC will be finished in a year or two? We might be held legally liable for that.)

Similarly, his partymates in the Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) camp, signified their reservations over the P500 million budget, although they voted yes to the supplemental budget.

The councilors who voted yes with reservation includes Raul Alcoseba, Joy Young, Leah Japson, and Alvin Dizon. All of whom agreed with the Archival that the CCMC is not as urgent as the others.

Still the budget was passed, which will allow the city to utilize the money as aid  for its citizens while under the ECQ. /bmjo