Cebu City Council mulls P18.1-B investment plan

WHILE Cebu City Hall’s proposed annual budget next year is only P8.9 billion, it proposed a 2016 Annual Investment Plan (AIP) that is twice as big at  P18.1 billion.

In yesterday’s City Council session, Councilor Margot Osmeña, who chairs the council’s budget and finance committee, said the amount needs to be adjusted.

“It has to be realistic. It has to be explained to the non-government organizations (NGOs). What happens to projects that will not be funded? Next year, they will just be forgotten?” she said.

The bulk of the 2016 AIP which was endorsed by the Cebu City Development Council (CDC) to the City Council amounting to P6 billion, will cover programs and projects under the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW).

The allocation includes P500 million additional funds for the construction of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) and P200 million additional funds for the construction of Carbon Market Unit II.

Next to the DEPW, the General Services Office has the biggest appropriation under the proposed AIP with P2.1 billion, followed by the mayor’s office with P1.3 billion, Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor at P1.06 billion, infrastructures for the South Road Properties worth P842 million, and the Local Development Fund at P386 million.

“How can we fund this (AIP)? There is a very big amount of discrepancy. What projects will be  prioritized? The AIP should be balanced with that of the annual budget,” Councilor Alvin Arcilla said.

But Councilor Gerardo Carillo said the items under the proposed AIP were  just a “wish list”.

He said the city government can select  projects  from the list to be funded in the 2016 annual budget.

Councilor Noel Wenceslao  said the AIP has always been bigger  than the city’s  annual budget in previous years.

An executive session is scheduled next week with the CDC to discuss the investment plan further.