Deficiencies found in city’s 2019 budget
The Department of Budget and Management-7 has returned the P8.1 billion budget of the Cebu City government for 2019 owing to deficiencies in the supporting documents.
It is the DBM that reviews a local government's budget proposal for the year.
DBM noted that there are duplicate copies of supporting documents that were not certified as true copies such as the Gender and Development Plan and Budget; list of Programs, Projects and Activities (PPAs) to combat Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; PPAs for Local Council for the Protection of Children; and Piecemeal Amendatory Annual Investment Program.
In a January 18 letter, DBM-7 director Imelda Laceras said all Local Budget Preparation Forms supporting the annual budget, including other supporting documents, shall be signed by responsible signatories pursuant to Budget Operations Manual 2016 edition.
“In the light of the foregoing, we are returning the FY 2019 Annual Budget, Appropriation Ordinance and all the supporting documents without prejudice to its resubmission when the said deficiencies are rectified,” Laceras said.
Also, Laceras said the authorized signatories of the city should sign the two folders of Local Expenditure Program of the annual budget.
“Based on the submitted worksheet, the Computation of Personal Services Limitation excluded the income and appropriations of all special accounts. Pursuant to the provisions of R.A. No. 7160, they shall be included in the General Fund because they are subsidized by the General Fund,” the letter reads.
Sought for comment, City Budget Officer Marietta Gumia said the city government can still use the P8.1 billion since the budget was not declared as inoperative.
Gumia said the DBM only returned the annual budget because of deficiencies in the documents.
“Immaterial deficiencies only like docs not certified true copy, authority from Mayor (Tomas Osmeña) for Annabeth (Assistant Administrator Annabeth Cuizon) and Cathy (Mayor's Secretary Catherine Yso) of some of the supporting docs, computation of the PS Limitation,” Gumia told The FREEMAN.
Gumia said the city has already resubmitted the documents last week.
The city submitted the annual budget, as well as the budget ordinances, to DBM on December 17.—