Court summons SP dads over Capitol budget fray
Vice Governor Rolex Suplico and members of the 9th Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP) have been summoned by the Court over the controversial Capitol budget.
With a Civil Case filed by Governor Niel Tupas seeking declaratory relief/judgment on its validity, subject Executive Budget was Appropriation Ordinance (AO) No. 2008-05 Series of 2008. AO 2008-05 enacted Annual Appropriations for the Province of Iloilo for the fiscal year 2009.
The Court summon was officially coursed through the SP secretariat with notification made to all SP members and the vice governor as presiding chair.
Appropriation Ordinance No. 2008-05 was questioned by Tupas saying such was “ultra vires, illegal, unconstitutional and prejudicial to public welfare and national policy.”
As such, Civil Case No. 09-29961 was lodged before Branch 37 of the 6th Regional Trial Court with Tupas representing the province and the SP as respondents.
The summon requires the SP to answer the governor’s petition. The matter will be taken up in today’s regular session.
Meantime, the Capitol budget controversy remains unresolved.
If the governor’s Executive Order No. 001 series of 2009 is to be followed, the province is supposed to operate on the reenacted 2008 budget.