Talisay ‘broke’ for Labor Day fete

Mayor Johnny “JVR” De los Reyes turned down the request of a city councilor to allocate budget for the Labor Day celebration.

In his letter addressed to Councilor Aldin Diaz, the mayor said he had to let go of some activities and programs proposed by the councilors, especially if the appropriation will be taken from the executive department.

"Please be informed that there is no budget available for your proposed program of work intended for the Labor Day celebration on May 1, 2015," De los Reyes said.

De los Reyes said that it is "funny" to note that he would approve the request of Diaz, who is one of his party-mates at the Liberal Party but participated in the slashing of the 2015 annual budget and first supplemental budget.

“The (proposed budgets) were supposed to be intended for the programs of my administration, including those of the legislative department,” he added.

Last January, the City Council prevailed in the slashing of the 2015 annual budget from P1.081 billion to P539.941 million. Early this month, it also trimmed down De los Reyes’s proposed supplemental budget of P59.4 million to P33.2 million.

In a Tripartite Industrial Peace Council meeting last April 17, Diaz, the alternate chairperson of the Committee on Labor, Trade and Industry, pointed out that the city will participate in the celebration that will take place at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Center. The mayor also attended the meeting. However, De los Reyes told the council that there are no more funds under Special Activities like the Labor Day because of the slashing.

"I am sending a message to the council nga sila ang nag-slash sa akong budget unya mangayo sila og budget aron i-finance sa ilang activity, which is charged pa gyud sa executive department? Dili ba kataw-anan kaayo ni?" De los Reyes said.

Nona Narca, assistant budget department head, said the executive department does not have funds that can be used for the Labor Day celebration.

Narca told the council that the funds for the celebration should be charged from the legislative department instead, and not from the executive branch.

For his part, Diaz said they will seek the opinion of the Commission on Audit on the possibility of using the legislative funds even though Labor Day is a special activity under the executive department.

City Councilor Doroteo Emit, one of the members of the Committee on Labor, said the mayor should not use the slashing to justify the absence of budget.

He said the City Council did not cut down the special activity fund under the Office of the Mayor, which amounted to P400,000.

"When the mayor asked for the supplemental budget, we did not slash the P400,000 worth of items intended for special activities," Emit said.

If the mayor will not grant the council's request, Diaz said the City Council will ask for funding from the Cebu provincial government.