After meeting for over two hours in Tuesday’s regular session, the Sangguniang Panlunsod of Dumaguete took only over four minutes to decide to defer the approval of the City’s Annual Investment Plan, pending the submission by the City Development Council (CDC).
The Dumaguete Councilors gave speeches, mostly calling on the Mayor to convene the CDC to tackle their recommendations regarding some items in the P1.2 billion AIP budget which the City legislators said is incomplete.
The Dumaguete Council, in its last session for 2023, returned the proposed AIP to the CDC, with a Resolution asking them to consider some recommendations the Councilors want included in the AIP.
The Councilors had written the CDC to recommended the inclusion of, among others, P20 million for lot acquisition for an employees housing, P15 million for the socialized housing project called Banilad Plains View Housing, and to allocate P15 million for the purchase of equipment of the City Engineer’s Office.
Councilor Tony Remollo said the City Council should be given some form of respect. “The ball is now with the CDC. The Mayor knows our sentiment. We will have to wait until he makes the right decision,” he said.
Councilor Karissa Tolentino-Maxino said it seemed like there was a bad intention on the part of the Council to wait until the last session of the year to discuss the City’s AIP.
She said she is not convinced that the ball is now in the hands of the Executive because the approval of the AIP on second reading is still in the agenda of the City Council. “We have to continue [discussing] until we approve the AIP and the budget.”
Councilor Tincho Perdices, for his part, said the Executive was supposed to submit the AIP to the Council in June but did so only in October. The Council had met four days a week since November to discuss the proposed AIP.
He said that instead of making suggestions on a piecemeal basis while reviewing the AIP, the Council made their recommendations after going through the entire document.
“Was the Council created to [only] approve whatever the Executive wishes? We will approve it when we feel it is for the welfare of the general public. The Executive does not have the monopoly of ideas that will benefit the general public,” Perdices said.
In the midst of the impasse, Councilors Franklin Esmeña and Petit Baldado proposed a back-door approach to meet with the Mayor, and find solutions.
“Let’s meet halfway. The housing project for Tropical Storm Sendong victims is one of the promises made during the elections, and the Executive had proposed that the City can avail of loan facilities to address concerns of the Council.
Vice Mayor Maisa Sagarbarria said she will volunteer to meet with the Mayor to discuss the Council’s concern. (AP)
