Jaraula wants 2009 audit-free funds increased by P7 Million

November 23, 2008

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

Cagayan de Oro City mayor Constantino Jaraula is moving for a P7 million increase in his audit-free funds in the 2009 Proposed Annual Budget Ordinance.

He is now asking the City Council to increase his Confidential Funds from P10.89 million in 2008 to P15 million in 2009 and that his Intelligence Funds to go up from P7.48 million to P10.5 million in 2009.

Also, the mayor is asking that his Extraordinary and Miscellaneous Expenses be increased from P2.53 million this year to P2.55 million for next year.

These funds are not exactly subject to the strict scrutiny of the Commission on Audit (COA) as compared to other budgetary expenses.

Pro-administration city councilors Ramon Tabor and Dante Pajo said they are supporting this increase considering that the intelligence funds went short this year.

Tabor even admitted that he himself asked for this increase in Jaraula’s funds and whether it is allowed by budget limitations during the budget hearing.

“Why? For a growng city, gamay ra kayo ni (this is very meager),” he told Gold Star Daily.

Tabor who is also the vice-chairperson for the City Council Committee on Peace and Order explained that, being the Philippine Councilors League vice-president for Mindanao, he had the opportunity to compare the Confidential and Intelligence funds of other Mindanao cities to that of Cagayan de Oro.

He said found out that Davao City has a total allocation of the same funds to around P200 million and that Ozamiz City and Iligan City even have more as compared to Cagayan de Oro City.

“Makaluluoy ang ato (Our budget for these funds are pitiful compared to other growing cities in Mindanao ),” he said.

He added that the increase is designed to make sure that this will limit any future request for supplemental budgets and to support the Cagayan de Oro City Police (COCPO) and other agencies in intelligence and logistics.

In the 2008 Annual Budget, Jaraula only asked for meager increases in his Confidential Fund from P9.9 million in 2007 to P10.89 million in 2008 and that of his Intelligence Fund from P6.8 million in 2007 to P7.48 million in 2008.

The Extraordinary and Miscellaneous Expenses was only P2.34 million in 2007 and was increased to the current P2.5 million.

In 2006, former Cagayan de Oro city mayor now vice-mayor Vicente Emano had a Confidential Fund of P9 million; Intelligence and Anti-Insurgency Fund of P6 million and Extraordinary and Miscellaneous Funds of P1.86 million.

But last January to June 2007, Emano admitted to having depleted these audit free funds with Jaraula inheriting only P1.68 million of the total P9.9 million Confidential Fund to spend from July to December 2007; only P.5 million for Intelligence Fund and less than P.3 million for Extraordinary and Miscellaneous Expenses.

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Written by admin · Filed Under Cagayan de Oro