Oro council okays P2.4-billion budget

By NITZ ARANCON
and LITO RULONA
Correspondents

THE city council on Monday approved city hall’s annual budget for this year. But it did not give Mayor Oscar Moreno his proposed P4.8 billion but only P2.46 billion.

The approved budget however is P452  million more than the 2015 budget of P2.08 billion.

Councilor Ramon Tabor said the city council based its decision on the “real and actual” tax collection  of the City Treasurer’s Office  in 2015.

Tabor said only P2.460 billion  was allowed by the city’s legislature because some of city hall’s department heads  failed to submit to the city council documents that were required of them particularly on the special projects proposed by Mayor Moreno.

“Dili man mabalaka si Mayor Moreno kay kon nagkinahanglan siya sa dugang budget, mahimo man sa sunod  city council. Makapakangayo siyag supplemental (budget),” said Tabor.

Councilor Roger Abaday lambasted the city council majority for reducing the budget from P4.8 billion to P2.46 billion, saying it was clear to him that partisan politics still got in the way even after the elections.

“Nganong mabalaka man sila (majority) kon unsa-on paggasto ni Moreno ang kuwarta sa city hall nga na-a may daghang government agencies nga mo-account ana sama sa   Commission on Audit?” Abaday asked rhetorically.

Abaday also frowned over the city council’s approval of P1 million as the Moreno administration’s peace and order fund: P500 thousand as intelligence fund and another P500 thousand as confidential fund.

Based on the proposed 2016 budget, Moreno sought not less than P70 million for his peace and order program.

Abaday said the city council’s move was unacceptable given the peace and order fund approved during the Emano administration. He said the city council approved a P60-million peace and order fund for the previous administration.

“Dili sab kini makataronganon nga P1 million ra ang intelligence fund ni Moreno, samtang kang Dongkoy (Emano) kaniadto P60 million,” Abaday said.

Abaday called the act “malicious, cruel and unkind.”

He pointed out that city hall would need more funds for peace and order given that the incoming Duterte administration would likely intensify a nationwide campaign against the illegal drug trade and organized crime.

“Unsa-on man ni Mayor Moreno paghatag sa igong suporta sa kampanya batok sa illegal drugs kon P1 million ra ang iyang intelligence  fund?” Abaday asked rhetorically.

Abaday added: “Nakita ko nga subra kaayo ka gamay. Unsa man ang mahimo sa mayor para ma-implement ang program? Kami na sa city council ang nagbahin asa ihatag. That is a violation. The work of the city council is only to approve and evaluate. Dili kini puwede.”

But Tabor said the peace and order fund for the Moreno administration was based on city hall’s  2015 budget.

Tabor pointed out that while the peace and order fund is only P1 million, some P41 million was also approved as budget to aid the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo).

Aside from the aid to Cocpo, Tabor said, the city council also approved P3 million as aid to the  Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

The funds, he said, were given directly to law enforcement arms of the government.

“Amo na lamang gideritso sa mga law enforcers ang budget alang sa ilang operation  kay da-an na man nagsulti si Mayor Moreno nga irrelevant ang city council,” Tabor said.