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By Francis Allan L. Angelo
GOVERNOR Niel Tupas Sr. has vetoed the 2009 annual budget approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last month.
In his veto letter to the SP dated December 2, Tupas said he will “return Appropriation Ordinance No. 2008-05 embodying the 2009 Annual Appropriation for the Province of Iloilo and Approving the Annual Investment Plan with a veto on the entire legislative measure.”
The governor said the provincial board approved the annual budget in haste which resulted in “confusion and chaos.”
“It is often said that haste makes waste. Appropriation Ordinance No. 2008-05 is a perfect example. The ordinance was enacted, and submitted to this Office, with a swiftness that is enviable for a piece of legislation. It was submitted to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on October 15, 2008. A little over a month later, on November 18, 2008, the appropriation ordinance was enacted. The following morning, it was already submitted to my Office,” Tupas said.
Tupas claimed the appropriation measure is defective for it failed to meet the requirements set by the Updated Budget Operations Manual (UBOM) for Local Government Units.
“The blunders committed are very fundamental. The Ordinance summarizes only lump sum amounts for each department/office, and does not specify how much is intended for personal services, maintenance and other operating expenses and capital outlay,” Tupas said.
The governor said AO 2008-05 violated Item 6.2.2 of the UBOM for LGUs which provides that an appropriation ordinance “shall contain a provision summarizing the sources of revenues, other receipts and borrowings, if any, to finance the budget, and the magnitude of expenditures authorized by the Sanggunian, preferably by office/department, broken down by allotment class and categorized as either economic, social or general services.”
Implementing the annual budget, Tupas said, would be technically difficult, and legally infeasible.
“Aside from the rudimentary blunders aforementioned, the format is chaotic and confusing. Even the figures as presented are wrong. For instance, the estimated revenue from Professional Taxes is pegged at P365,000,000. The error is committed twice in the document. When you add up the numbers for revenue, you get a different sum,” he added.
The governor requested the committee on appropriations chaired by his nephew Vice Governor Rolex Suplico to re-examine the budget and make the necessary corrections before it is submitted back to his office for approval.
“Let me caution each and every member that an override of the veto will not rectify the blunders made,” Tupas said.
Suplico said he needs to read the veto letter to find out the specific defects pointed out by the governor.
“My office has not received any veto letter from the Office of the Governor. In short, media has the veto letter but not my office or the SP. This is the same thing that happened with respect to the DBM letter reviewing the 10% salary increase – media had a copy ahead of my office and the SP. We got our copy of the DBM letter from media,” Suplico said.
Suplico said the governor should prove why the 2009 budget is prejudicial to public interest and goes beyond the bounds of law.
The provincial board will tackle the veto letter when it convenes Friday. Aside from the veto, the board will also discuss possible measures to implement the 10% salary increase for capitol workers after the previous appropriations ordinance was declared inoperative by the Department of Budget and Management.
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
A MEMBER of the PNP Regional Mobile Group (RMG-6) based in Victorias City, Negros Occidental was killed while four others were wounded in an ambush by alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA) Wednesday afternoon.
The ambush happened at Brgy. Estado, Victorias City which is considered a rebel-infested area.
The fatality was identified as PO1 Jean Tacadao who died of multiple gunshot wounds in her body.
Wounded were police officers Anilu Patricio, Melanie Tupas, Marife Cantomayor and Jocelyn Quebar.
The RMG-6 team headed by Supt. Remus Canieso were on-board a Toyota Hi-Lux patrol when the rebels waylaid them.
Canieso and his team were on their way to Sagay City to deploy more personnel in the area when the ambush happened.
Canieso said the rebels used M-14 Garand and M-16 Armalite rifles.
The Negros Provincial Police Office and the Philippine Army in Negros Occidental continue to chase the NPA rebels as of this writing.
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will strictly regulate transporting of firecrackers from Iloilo to Guimaras and Negros Island onboard ships.
Commander Harold Jarder, PCG-Iloilo station commander, issued the order as part of safety measures on ships and pump boats plying Guimaras and Bacolod City.
Jarder warned firecracker manufacturers against transporting pyrotechnics on board sea vessels as these pose grave dangers to the lives of other passengers.
The PCG head said firecracker manufacturers and traders should secure permits from the Police Regional Office (PRO-6) before moving their goods on board ships and pump boats.
Despite the permits, Jarder said they will still regulate the volume of firecrackers to be loaded on ships to avoid sea accidents.
The Arevalo district is considered as the firecracker capital of the city and province of Iloilo because of the large number of pyrotechnic factories located mostly in households.
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