Garin backs Suplico's call for "proper, legal" honoraria release
Yes, no legislative approval of over P23 million in honoraria for Iloilo's volunteer health workers was made. But no, this was not because the SP body frowns on extending that financial assistance. What it was and is, First District Board Member Richard Garin said, was primarily because Governor Niel Tupas did not ask for it.
Or at least not in the latest official budget submitted for legislative approval.
As such, Garin shared the sentiments of Vice Governor Suplico that honoraria should be given to the volunteer health workers. Release though of any public funds here must be done in a proper and legal manner.
Further still, Garin said since the Capitol apparently has enough funds, similar financial assistance must also be extended to volunteer barangay police (tanods) and other volunteer workers here.
"When we received the governor's official budget, nowhere can we find in the planned expenditures his request for the health workers. So what is there to approve in the first place? And we cannot also add something that is not there since that is clearly illegal and not allowed by law," Garin said.
Incidentally, upon TNT perusal of the Tupas Budget, the matter of honoraria for the health workers was included under the "Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE)." Capitol insiders said the honoraria budget request was "an honest mistake" thus not reflected in the governor's planned expenditures. As a last minute "correction," it was included elsewhere, a costly mistake that has now caused the latest Tupas-Suplico row.
"Don't blame us. Who would not want to give financial assistance to our volunteer health workers? We value their services however we want to make sure that any assistance given to them by the Provincial Government is given to them legally and regularly. It would not be right to give them assistance that will later be disallowed by law," Garin ended.