CEBU City Hall’s executive department is seeking a P240-million budget for its Peace and Order Program (POP) for next year.
But opposition councilors under the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) said the bulk of this year’s budget for peace and order remained unused.
Based on the city’s Status of Appropriations, Obligations and Balances (SAOB) as of October 15 there is still a balance of P238.9 million under the approved P400.5 million for peace and order this year.
“It’s unfortunate that there’s a budget, it just hasn’t been used,” said Councilor Margot Osmeña.
Next year’s budget for peace and order will fund the allowances for city fiscals (P3.7 million), the office of the regional state prosecutor (P744,000), public attorney’s office (P2.8 million), police (P83.6 million), firefighters (P8.6 million) and police assigned at the mountain barangays (P2.5 million).
But the BO-PK bloc said P29 million out of the approved P46 million budget for allowances for police, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Maritime Police were allocated.
Supt. Artemio Ricabo, deputy city director for administration of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), yesterday told the council that the city is up to date in releasing the monthly incentive for policemen.
There is still a balance of P3.4 million out of the P8.2 million for the allowance of firefighters in Cebu City and a P600,000 balance out of the P1.8 million budget for allowances of policemen serving the city’s mountain barangays.
Other programs that remained unimplemented include a new Cebu City Police building (P50 million), renovation of firing range (P17 million), and various police equipment (P28 million).
Ricabo said they frequently submitted written budget requests to the mayor’s office but these were not processed.
He said they are confused about who will handle the processing of their requests.
Ricabo said they had to get permission from Hernane Cañete, an administrative aide of the city’s peace and order program.
City Budget Officer Marietta Gumia said most of the requests were made by City Councilor Dave Tumulak and Cañete.
The council tried to invite both Canete and Tumulak, who chairs the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council to yesterday’s budget hearing, but to no avail.
Councilor Osmeña encouraged the policemen to coordinate with Councilor Nestor Archival Sr. for processing of their requests.