Minority slams Council over budget measure
By Daniel E. Maquiling
and Ronald De Guzman
The opposition minority last Tuesday delivered its harshest commentary
on the present leadership so far following a standoff on the deliberation
for this year’s budget and the minority’s failure to force
major cuts in some of the administration’s pet projects.
Assistant Minority Leader Rebecca Labit accused the administration of
failing to live up to its campaign promise to reform local governance.
“It is my view that for the past six months, this administration
has failed to live up to its commitment of good governance,” Labit
said.
The criticism stemmed from the move of the majority to block the minority’s
demand for a realignment of some budget items in the proposed 2002 budget
during last Friday’s special session. The minority walked out of
the special session before it even began, accusing the administration
bloc of planning to railroad the passage of the budget.
Labit accused the administration of structuring the budget to favor
their pet projects such as the “Quick Response” program initiated
by Vice Mayor Fernando Batul. The opposition was working for a reinstatement
of the budget cuts earlier made on items such as the Barangay funds,
the Sangguniang Kabataan and the Day Care workers.
“Ang libu-libong mamamayan na nagtiwala at umasa sa pagbabago ng
palakad ng administrasyon na ito upang ipatupad ng maayos ang programa
ng gobyerno ay bigo.” Labit said.
Labit complained that despite their effort to work harmoniously with
their administration bloc, these are constrained by the strong influence
of partisan politics and “patronage.”
“Yong sa atin muna, sa mga kaalyado muna. Is it not that the government
is for the people and by the people? Na ang pagtanaw, pagtulong at paghahatid
ng basic social services ay dapat pantay-pantay? Irrespective of who
the people supported and voted during the last electoral process? Ano
na ang nangyari sa pag-asang inilahad upang maging matiwasay ang bawat
mamamayan ng Lungsod ng Puerto Princesa?”
Labit also assailed Mayor Dennis Socrates for “lacking in the exercise
of flexibility to fine-tune programs of government for the greater good”
when he refused to consider some items of the executive budget that
the minority group is asking for. She said that the minority group has
no intention to delay or block the executive budget.
“While it can be argued that the budget is the prerogative of the
executive to propose, it is the judicial function and duty of this council
to appropriate and approve the funds, at ito ay nakasaad sa Local Government
Code.” Labit said.
“I cannot find any reason why the recommendation of the minority
group cannot be given consideration when it is the executive himself
who stated in his letter attached to the executive budget that this
year may not be the opportune time for us to fund our favorite projects,”
she added.
After her speech reactions and heated arguments between the majority
and minority blocs arose when Kagawad Labit declined to entertain questions
and subject herself to the interpellation. Majority bloc cried that
the incident would serve bad precedent and stressed that SP member availed
such privilege has the responsibility to answer questions or queries
from the other members. The argument has further gone to the interpretation
of the Sangguniang Panlungsod House Rules governing privilege hour in
which both blocs have their own contrasting interpretations
“It is a bad precedent to future privilege hour. Maliwanag po sa
ating house rules na ang isang miyembro na nag-avail ng privilege hour
ay maaaring tanungin ng ibang miyembro para sa lalong kapalinawagan.
Ang pagbigay ng pahayag sa ating privilege hour ay may kaakibat na responsibilidad
na sagutin ang mga katanungan buhat sa ibang miyembro ng sanggunian.”
Majority bloc explained.
This was however countered by the minority group led by Minority Floor
Leader Roger Castro that the statement stipulated in the house rules
apply to a member delivered or availed the privilege hour to whether
answer or decline the questions.
“It is no longer a privilege kung pipilitin natin yong tao,”
Castro said.
Councilor Telesforo Paredes on his reaction assailed Kagawad Labit accusations
as baseless stating “sa aking opinyon at reaksiyon taliwas po ang
kaniyang pananaw sa aking pananaw at sa pananaw ng kasalukuyang administration.
Bilang isang miyembro ng lehislatura ay karapatan niyang ipahayag ang
kaniyang saloobin at pananaw.”
