But landfill maintenance and police outposts budget disapproved
Members and employees of the Laoag City Department of Public Safety (DPS) breathed a sigh of relief as the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved a supplemental budget for the continued operation of the said office during a special session. Earlier, the council cut the DPS budget, and the said office’s operation would have lasted only until June of this year with its approved budget. The council approved P2.2 million for the salaries of DPS employees for July to December this year. The P2.2 million had been certified by the local finance committee as available. According to Ms. Carlina Cumigad, city budget officer, the P2.2 million DPS appropriation would come from the city government’s additional internal revenue allotment (IRA) share for this year. The total increase for the city’s IRA share for this year is P8.8 million. Cumigad added that under budgeting rules and regulations, 20 percent of the IRA share increase would go to the City Development Fund and the Calamity Fund. The supplemental budget for the DPS operations would be sourced from the remaining balance of P5.9 million from the IRA share increase. During the discussion, Laoag City Councilor Vicentito M. Lazo, committee in finance chair, disclosed that the six-month operation of the DPS, to which the supplemental budget would only cover, would serve as the council’s time to study the feasibility of the continued maintenance of the said office. According to Lazo, he is proposing that the DPS paramedics would become permanent employees of the city government, while the DPS traffic enforcers would be streamlined since they are duplicating the functions of the city’s traffic aides. Meanwhile, during the same special session, members of the council disapproved the City Development Council’s proposals, which included the construction of four police outposts in the city’s rural barangays and the maintenance fund for the sanitary landfill, with a total amount of P1.7 million. Lazo explained that sanitary landfill maintenance budget proposal is still premature to be proposed since the city’s budget ordinance, which had been vetoed and overridden by Laoag City Mayor Michael V. Fariñas and the council respectively, is still being studied by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP). Lazo added that there was already a P1 million appropriation for the landfill maintenance in the city’s budget ordinance. As for the police outposts, Lazo said this had already been disapproved by the council when it had been first proposed as the amount allotted for this purpose was later used for the purchase of the four-wheel drive of the Laoag City Philippine National Police (PNP). However Cumigad maintained that the supposed P1 million budget for the sanitary landfill maintenance can not be used for this purpose since the amount was appropriated under the gas, oil and lubricants of the City Engineering Office. Members of the local finance committee were also disappointed after the proposals were disapproved. Dominic B. dela Cruz
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