No quorum for the scheduled 2pm budget hearing of Cebu City’s revised annual budget. (CDN PHOTO/ JOSE SANTINO BUNACHITA)
No budget hearing for Cebu City’s revised annual budget took place after the City Council failed to reach a quorum at past 2 pm Monday.
Only five councilors, all from the majority Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) bloc, showed up at 2 pm for the scheduled hearing of the P9.8 billion annual budget.
The council needed at least nine members to reach a quorum. Although a few came in later, including Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, the councilors decided to just leave a few minutes before 3 pm.
Those who were present were Councilors Margarita Osmeña, Lea Japson, Nida Cabrera, Sisinio Andales and Alvin Arcilla.
The council was supposed to discuss the sources of funds of the budget with the executive department’s local finance committee as well as the changes from the earlier P6.4 billion budget, which was declared inoperative by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) 7 earlier.
Labella said they will just reschedule the budge hearing on Thursday, April 14 at 2 pm. Councilors Gerardo Carillo and Mary Ann De Los Santos arrived at 3 pm. By then, the councilors who arrived early already left.