• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Members of the Sangguniang Bayan of Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental yesterday justified the slashing of their own P2.1 million budget for 2024, which is being questioned by their presiding officer, Vice Mayor Ian Villaflor.
In a press briefing, Moises Padilla Councilors Joenes Frias, Dowen Michael Ogatis, and Vincent Bryan Garcia cited irregularities and mismanagement of the Sangguniang Bayan budget in the slashing of their own budget.
Villaflor has questioned the move of the Sangguniang Bayan members to slash its own P2.1 million budget for 2024, which he said was already approved on second reading by its members.
Based on their internal rules, Villaflor stressed that there should be no amendments of the budget on the 3rd and final reading, except for the nominal voting for its approval. At the same time, he also dismissed it as “illegal.”
Frias, who chairs the committees on Rules and Privileges, Ordinances and Legal Matters, as well as Good Governance and Public Office, yesterday revealed that Vice Mayor Villaflor allowed them to deliberate the proposed P197,494,417 budget of Moises Padilla, including the slashed budget.
Frias said it was him who moved for the budget deliberation, which he added “implied that we returned to the second reading.”
Based on the minutes of the SB session, Councilor Romulo Fajardo seconded the motion of Councilors Garcia and Frias to approve the proposed budget, after deliberation, which nobody opposed, and it was approved.
Ogatis said that Vice Mayor Villaflor also participated in the deliberation of the slashed budget, as he even negotiated for allocation of P150,000 for payment of annual dues for the Vice Mayors League of the Philippines.
Villaflor earlier claimed that the budget slashing affected the Sangguniang Bayan most, where the budget for job order and casual employees, fuel and lubricants was reduced to P1 each.
In response to the claims, Ogatis claimed that Villaflor is not transparent, and mismanaged the municipal council funds.
He further alleged that 76 percent of the Sangguniang Bayan allocated funds goes to Vice Mayor Villaflor, while the remaining funds equally distributed to eight members of the municipal council.
Of the P200,000 budget for fuel and lubricants, Ogatis added that 75 percent of the fuel for the municipal council is being used by the vice mayor, since 2019.
He also revealed that Vice Mayor Villaflor has nine plantilla casual, with complete benefits, including Government Service Insurance System, 13th and 14th month bonuses, and uniform allowance.
On the other hand, Ogatis said five of the eight SB members have only one job order worker assigned to them, while three other councilors have none.
Frias, on the other hand, said that not only Vice Mayor Villaflor, but all members of the municipal council has been affected by the P1 budget on fuel and personnel services.
Garcia also belied claims of Villaflor that the budget slashing affected the delivery of basic services, stressing that the job of the municipal council is to deliberate and enact ordinances.
The delivery of basic services is the job of the executive department, headed by the local chief executive, he pointed out.*
