Bacolod City gov’t budget not depleted, mayor says

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez on Wednesday said the city government’s budget for 2022 is not depleted.

This is contrary to an earlier statement of Benitez’s spokesman Atty.  Bong Dilag who said in a press conference Monday that the current administration is left with only P153 million cash on hand.

Benitez explained that the P153 million is just part of the appropriated budget for some departments in the city government.

He further said that the 22 percent remaining budget cited by Dilag is for the job order workers and other services only.

“Ang iban nga budget ara pa man (The rest of the budget is still there),” Benitez told reporters in a media  ambush interview after he spoke to members of Sanggunian Panlungsod during its inaugural session presided by Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran.

“We can still push for our program, ma-double time lang ni ang iban nga tawo anay but the major programs we intend to do especially our 8 point agenda in the next 100 days we were able to find sufficient budget so that we can start.”

When asked if the budget is depleted, Benitez replied “indi man (Not really).”

Benitez, though, said that they will hire fewer job order casuals.

The mayor said they are assessing the available positions so they can hire the adequate or necessary number of workers.

“We are still in the process of identifying kon pila ang kinahanglan, it’s not nga kon may mga tawo ta di, pangitaan ta position. What are the positions that need job orders and then amo na pangitaan tawo. It is not the other way around.”

Meanwhile, Benitez said that he also supports the redistricting of Bacolod City.

Earlier, Bacolod Lone District Rep. Greg Gasataya refiled House Bill 297 meant to divide the city into two congressional districts.