City Council OKs PHP 125-M supplemental budget

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City Council approved a PHP 125-million Supplemental Budget No. 2 on Wednesday, August 20, after the ordinance was swiftly passed from first to final reading.

The budget allocates PHP 95,158,070.52 for the general fund and a total of PHP 29,865,297.49 for the Local Economic Enterprise.

City Budget Officer Viminale Capulso said the chunk of the budget for the general funds will cover the monetization of leave credits of several regular city hall employees, as well as the terminal leave benefits of retirees.

She added that the budget also provides for the establishment of a Facilities Conservation Office under the Office of the City Mayor, which will handle the maintenance of all city government facilities.

The budget will also fund the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!,” a flagship food program under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that offers rice at 20 pesos per kilo to vulnerable sectors across the country.

The budget allocated only PHP 500,000 for the program, with no specific details yet on how the city government will implement it.

For capital outlay, funds were allocated for the rehabilitation and renovation of the city hall to accommodate the transfer of some offices to the legislative building.

PHP 10.5 million was earmarked for the procurement of a centralized employee attendance management system, which will allow workers to log their attendance and check leave balances via a mobile application.

Capulso said the system will also aid in payroll calculation and attendance reporting.

Meanwhile, PHP 15 million was set aside for the rehabilitation of the La Paz and Mandurriao public markets, particularly for the purchase of furniture, fixtures, and electrical connections.

During deliberations, Councilor Love Baronda asked why much of the budget was directed toward City Hall rather than the legislative building.

Capulso explained that councilors may submit proposals for the next supplemental budget later this year.

Only Councilor Sheen Marie Mabilog abstained from voting, citing the lack of time to review the proposal, which was distributed to the council on Monday afternoon. She even suggested that the budget be referred to a committee for further scrutiny.

“I think the City Council needs more time to review this. I can see that my colleagues have questions about the budget. We are talking about PHP125 million,” she said.

Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna was absent due to official travel to Singapore.