SP clips guv's gas expense, office supplies, job hires
Members of the 9th Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP) headed by Vice Governor Rolex Suplico made a major cut and attempted to install a "spending guideline" for Governor Niel Tupas Sr.
Adopted in Appropriation Ordinance No. 2007-07, five guidelines accompanied the actual approval specifically addressed to the governor's planned expenditures on gasoline and job hires among others.
Yes to job hires, the SP body said but as the number one guideline went, hire them rightly and regularly.
Yes as well to office supplies but after SP check and validation, from the P500,000 sought by the governor, only P270,000 was approved. Yes also to more gas money but of the P2 million requested, P985,000 got the SP nod.
"The Office of the Governor has an appropriation of P1,500,000.00 for Gasoline, Oil & Lubricants Expenses in the Annual Budget Fiscal Year (FY) 2007. The average monthly gasoline consumption of the Office of the Governor from January to September 2007 is P166,666.67. The budget needed then for the last quarter of 2007 is P166,666.67 x 3 months or the amount of P499,999.99 or P500,000.00. Some members wanted to add an additional ten percent (10%). Hence, the recommended amount is P550,000. This shall be strictly used for official vehicles under the Office of the Governor. Privately-owned vehicles and those belonging to other offices other than the Office of the Governor shall not utilized the gasoline, oil and lubricants expenses appropriated herein," the approval cum guideline went.
Same contention with the office supplies that got a major slash. The governor appeared not to have any argument on the cut except on the further guideline provided that formed part of the veto exercised.
More objections from Governor Tupas on realigned expenditures with the SP body denying payment of P2 million to the RNMD Specialty Clinics, the Capitol's supplier of anti-rabies vaccines.
Section 2 of Appropriation Ordinance 2007-07 stated that payment due to said company was "denied for lack of public bidding."
Instead of the RNMD Specialty Clinics getting the amount, the SP realigned and reappropriated the fund to eight provincial hospitals and the Iloilo Provincial Hospital. Same SP assertion also got the governor's veto.
This, as the SP body called on the district hospital chiefs and Capitol Clinic's Medical-Dental Clinic to submit to the SP "a monthly report of the status of the dispensation of the Anti-Rabies Vaccines in their respective possessions."
Appropriation Ordinance No. 2007-07 was adopted by the SP as per recommendation of the Committee on Appropriations chaired by Vice Governor Suplico.
"The Committee deems it necessary to reduce by 50% the amount of P2,449,524.00 for hiring of Job Hire Contractuals as General Services of the Office of the Governor to P1,224,762.00 to be placed under the Human Resource Management Development Office (HRMDO)..." excerpts of the report went.
It was not immediately clear where the funds will be taken to pay the governor's "job hires" with said SP cut made.
The News Today (TNT) gathered a total of 240 "job hires" listed under the Capitol's employ, 26 of which were under the Governor's Office and the rest distributed in various Capitol offices.
Another issue was raised on the regularity of these job hires.