The drama has begun

Egay Uy

REPRESENTATIVES of 12 city government departments and executive committees, along with those of other major programs of the executive department, attended the supposed budget hearing last Jan. 5 at the city council session hall to discuss the executive budget for calendar year 2016. Several other departments have their respective specific schedules.

Given that the 2016 budget is still being “deliberated” upon by the city council sitting as a committee of the whole, the 2015 budget has already been automatically re-enacted, by operation of law, because of the failure to pass the appropriations ordinance by the end of last year.

Mayor Oscar Moreno has already issued Memorandum no. 01-2016 to all department heads and chiefs of office, and to the city council, directing and enjoining them “to adopt the CY 2015 budget as re-enacted, to serve as basis for current disbursements, effective immediately.”  The memo is dated Jan. 4, 2016.

At the supposed budget hearing, the chair read a letter from Mayor Moreno which reiterated the executive department’s position regarding, among other matters, the documents required to be submitted to the city council, in that those documentary requirements are beyond the scope of the legislative concurrence of the executive budget.

Acting City Administrator Dionne Gersana, on a query from the committee, affirmed the position of the executive department, in that no documents would be submitted. My take is that it is not because these are not available but because of mutual distrust and of encroachment issues.

As reported in this paper, Mayor Moreno bluntly stated, “While you manifested that you are requiring this detail of expenses because you do not trust this administration, may I also tell you that I also do not trust what you will do to the data that we are required to submit. Time and again, we have proven that your real intent is to malevolently use this data against us to malign this administration.”

As if wanting to further wield power and arrogance, one councilor wanted to elicit from the departments representatives if they confirmed the position taken by the city mayor as narrated in his letter.  Mr. Gersana promptly came to the rescue by saying the position of the executive department remains as stated in the letter of Mayor Moreno.

It is not difficult to decipher that what may be approved as this year’s budget (which is proposed at P4.8 billion) could still be much lower than that of 2015 given the public pronouncements already made by the majority members of the city council in various fora.

In order to deliver the basic services to the people of Cagayan de Oro, the executive department will just have to continue being creative and always think outside the box because any adverse action taken by the city council on the proposed budget will shortchange the people of Cagayan de Oro who deserve much better services than what they used to receive in the past.

And all this could be because of the budget drama that has already begun.  But even then, Mayor Moreno has declared that the people of Cagayan de Oro are worth fighting for.

 (Egay Uy is a lawyer, city hall consultant, and chairman of Task Force Hapsay Dalan.)