DAVAO CITY — The Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP) of North Cotabato presided by Vice Governor Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza approved only P293-million out of the P393-million proposed Supplemental Budget No. 1 submitted by the Office of Provincial Governor Nancy Catamco.
Catamco said the fund was necessary in addressing the need of the people from food to hospitalization. But after scrutiny and deliberation by the SP, they decided to approve only P293-million.
In the proposed supplemental budget submitted by Catamco to the SP, a P35.9-milion fund was allotted for donations but only P1-million was approved.
Catamco asked “What can P1-million do as fund in helping our people?”
In a press briefing on June 7, Catamco said, “what the Office of the Vice Governor and the Board Members did was inhuman and unjust as this is not for the welfare of the people.
Catamco said the budget should not have been reduced as it is intended for the people’s welfare.
“Our donations are a big help since they are used by the barangays in time of emergency,” Catamco said.
Catamco explained that the budget for donations of her office was quickly depleted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said SP blocked the proposed items for which the budget for donation will be spent.
Catamco said the people need not worry because should there be an anomaly in spending the money, the Commission on Audit (COA) can easily discover it even as she belied the allegation that there were lacking documents, the reason why there was a considerable cut in the proposed budget.
Mendoza said the budget for donation submitted by the office of Catamco was more than P219-million and that during her term as governor, a fund of P5,000 or more would not be released without the approval of the SP.
She said there was lacking in the documents submitted to the SP so the majority of the board members voted for the slashing of the fund requested by Catamco. – Newsline.ph
