City VM and SP at odds anew over transfer of budget
ROXAS CITY – Vice Mayor Ronnie Dadivas and members of the Sanggunian Panglungsod (SP) are now at odds following legislative transfer of funds here.
Dadivas accused members of the city council for allegedly conniving with Mayor Vicente Bermejo effecting the move of said funds from the legislative to the executive department.
"The act is not valid and illegal. It is usurpation of power of the legislative, violates the principle of separation of powers and a dangerous move to think that the non-office under the mayor has the highest budget. Come to think of it", Dadivas told The News Today (TNT).
Dadivas is now seeking the opinion of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Regional Office thru Regional Director Evelyn Trompeta, Ceso III regarding the controversy.
It was learned that the non-office funds such as supplies, transportations, services and professional services funds of each members of the city council to include ex-officio members in the amount of more than P600,000 each were transferred from the SP to the office of the executive.
On the other hand, City Councilor Ramon "Monchit" Albar explained the SP move to TNT.
"We have done it as Dadivas did the same to former Vice Mayor Alan Celino", Albar said.
And the mayor is still very lucky, he added, since he still has P1,200.00 budget a day as presiding officer while former Vice Mayor Alan Celino before only had a budget in the amount of P750.00/day.
Alba said that Celino was the only opposition who won in 2004 election adding that it was Dadivas who designed such measures disadvantageous to Celino.
Albar admitted that they done it because they don't want to be controlled by Dadivas as far as the budgeting of office is concerned considering that they still have disagreement between them and the presiding officer.
Dadivas, who belongs to the same LP with members of the present city council, marked his third "at-odds row" with the SP.
The first one was, when Dadivas as presiding officer, was accused by SP members of violating the internal rules, the second was when they disagreed with Dadivas whether or not to investigate 1st District Cong. Antonio del Rosario on alleged anomalies during his term as city mayor.