The Dumaguete Council has returned to the City Development Council the proposed P1.2 billion Annual Investment Plan & Executive Annual Budget of Dumaguete for “further deliberation and appropriate action”.
The action of the Council was based on the recommendation of the Finance and Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Ways and Means, which was read during last Tuesday’s regular City Council session.
Councilors Tincho Perdices, Tony Remollo, JV Imbo, and Joken Arbas signed the recommendation to return the budget proposal.
Both committees recommended the slashing of the budget, and recommended some changes.
The Council instead proposed to allocate P20 million for lot acquisition for employees housing, allocate P15 million for the socialized housing project in Banilad Plains View Housing, and allocate P15 million for the purchase of equipment for the City Engineer’s Office.
Councilor Remollo, in an interview after the session, said the reason they returned the budget to the City Development Council is because there are some necessary items that were not included in the budget.
He said the Council hopes to fund other projects as well.
“During the Executive-Legislative Agenda [meeting], we had agreed to establish a City Hospital to be [built] in the old TB Pavilion compound, but this was not part of the 2024 budget,” Councilor Remollo said.
He added that there was also a resolution requesting for P22 million for the Peace and Order Council — which he opposed because he was not aware of it as chair of the Peace and Order Committee, and he was never even invited to their meetings.
He also said the City administration has not indicated what it plans to do with the many vagrants roaming around the City streets, and sleeping in front of several buildings.
Councilor Tincho Perdices, meanwhile, said there is a possibility the City will be excess funds amounting to P150 to P200 million, which will be reverted to the general fund.
This money, Perdices said, can actually be used by the City next year.
