Mulanay mayor Joselito ‘Tito’ Ojeda at the Sangguniang Panglalawigan of Quezon in Lucena city. (JOHN BELLO) by John A. Bello MULANAY, Q...
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| Mulanay mayor Joselito ‘Tito’ Ojeda at the Sangguniang Panglalawigan of Quezon in Lucena city. (JOHN BELLO) |
by John A. Bello
MULANAY, Quezon -- The 2018 annual budget of this town amounting to P178.6 million is in a hot mess after it was apparently slashed clandestinely by some P7.6 million even after it has been approved by its municipal legislative council on Dec. 11 last year.
Mulanay mayor Joselito ‘Tito’ Ojeda has expressed vehement protest to the budget cut as he returned Appropriation Ordinance No. 6 and delivered a partial veto message to the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) last Jan. 18 thru vice mayor and presiding officer Ponciano Rejano and SB secretary Antonio Nañadiego.
“The total amount of Local Expenditure Program submitted by this office is P178,633,000.00 but the Appropriation Ordinance No. 06 contained only an amount of P170,935,985.71. Hence, there is unappropriated balance of P7,697,654.80,” said Ojeda in his letter addressed to Rejano and Nañadiego, stressing that the amount of P170,935,985.71 has never been discussed nor mentioned in the session.
In his letter Ojeda has accused SB member Kristine Aguirre-Adao of ‘authoring the alteration of the amount for some budget items after the approval of P178.6M which is a clear violation of existing budget rules and regulations.”
Ojeda cited page 65 of the appropriation ordinance, saying the SB thru Aguirre-Adao has added item for subsidy to the Pambayang Liga ng mga Barangay amounting to P100,000; and on page 108 for 20% Dev’t Funds, the amount was increased from P9M to P15M for ‘Improvement/maintainance of 50 kms. Farm to market road in 24 rural barangays; and from P2M to P4M for ‘concreting of municipal streets’.
He said that the juggling of funds done with whims and caprices of SB member Aguirre-Adao was not discussed during the budget deliberations and the action is highly irregular and illegal and those who have hands in the tinkering of the approved amount of P178.6M will be subjected to possible administrative and criminal charges in the near future.
On April 19, the provincial Local Finance Committee composed of Rosario Marilou Uy, provl. treasurer; Diego Salas, budget officer; and Maria Odessa Perez, provl. planning and development officer has recommended for the Sangguniang Panglalawigan (SP) to conduct a committee hearing “to resolve and determine whether the submitted Appropriation Ordinance No. 06 was the one truly approved by the SB members of Mulanay in its session held on Dec. 11, 2017.”
Sang. Panglalawigan Sec. Francis Xavier Sia has moved on April 26 to return the Appropriation Ordinance No. 06 to SB of Mulanay for its proper action.
Last Thursday (May 3), Mulanay officials led by Ojeda, Rejano, SB members Isidro Fuerte, Jose Pineda, Jr., Edgardo Sebuc; budget officer Noel Eroa and treasurer Anita Romasanta attended SP committee hearing led by SP member Ferdinand Talabong, committee chair on budget and finance. The hearing did not push through as only Talabong was present and so it was rescheduled until after the barangay and SK elections.
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