Tupas Sr. gets nod from Tupas Jr. on P98M add'l Capitol expense
Iloilo Governor Niel Tupas, Sr. welcomes Bacolod
City Councilors Lyndon Caņa, Homer Baes and
Elmer Sy (partly hidden). The councilors from
Bacolod City conducted an ocular inspection of the
Iloilo Provincial Capitol which was constructed by
Hilmarcs Construction, one of the the firms that
joined the bidding for the proposed P400 million
Bacolod City government center. The Bacolod City
Council gathered information on the performance of
the Hilmarcs Construction after it emerged as the
only qualified firm for the final bidding on Dec. 27.
Nine other construction firms failed to qualify.
After about a week of "thorough deliberation," Governor Niel Tupas Sr. will get all of the over P98 million in last-minute Capitol expense budget. This, from no less than the governor's board member son, Niel Tupas Jr., chairman of the Appropriations Committee. With the nod came the official inclusion of the Province of Iloilo to Local Government Units (LGUs) in the country in the distinct "Billionaires' Club."
Contained in Committee Report No. 92, Supplemental Budget No. 3 as officially sought last week was given the thumbs-up by the governor's son in what he reported was necessary expenditures for "efficient delivery of basic services." The Committee Report was presented in yesterday's (Tuesday) regular session of the Provincial Board.
As such, the over P98 million will be spent in the next six weeks as the Capitol readies yet for more millions in expense in 2007 Executive Budget.
Meantime, Governor Tupas and all other vehicles under the Office of the Governor will enjoy additional P1 million worth of gasoline, oil and lubricants until December. There will also be P30 million in new heavy equipment on top of the earlier P100 million worth bought from a government-bank loan. Nearly half a million in office supplies for the Govenor's office in the next 45 days and P20 million in "donations" to the barangay workers of Iloilo's 1,721 barangays.
The approval will also spell good news for the Capitol employees with over P16.3 million here intended for their monetization of leave credits and over P13 million in more development projects.
Other expenditures further include P500,000 in rabies vaccine for the Capitol's drive against rabied dogs astray in Iloilo towns, P1.2 million in "general services" or payroll for the last stretch of hiring also under the Office of the Governor.
The continued construction of the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC) will also get more funds of about P5 million.