Home News Cagayan Valley Cagayan Gov, SP public dialogue on budget may happen soon

Gov, SP public dialogue on budget may happen soon

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines- The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Cagayan (SP) has agreed to have a public dialogue with Governor Manuel Mamba and other concerned parties regarding the Provincial Development and Investment Plan (PDIP) to further the discussion of the 2017 budget.

This after invited resource persons from the Provincial Development Council (PDC) were unable to attend the resumption of the 53rd Regular Session on Thursday, September 7.

The board was supposed to file a resolution to have a dialogue with Mamba but Board Member Rodrigo De Asis withdrew this motion and expressed that he will talk to the governor instead.

Should the governor agree to the public dialogue, Board Member Jean Alphonse Ponce said that this should be televised and with the presence of the media. De Asis also appealed that all members of the SP should be present in the dialogue.

Vice-Governor Melvin Vargas added that such a dialogue should be held on a mutual ground because he said that the governor wanted to talk to him during the final day of the deliberation of the 2018 budget.

A dialogue with the governor was also the advice of the overseeing agencies such as the National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Budget and Management. These agencies attended the first part of the session on Wednesday, September 6.

Vargas and some board members expressed disappointment, saying that the board cannot continue the discussion of the budget if members of the PDC do not come and present necessary information they need to tackle the PDIP.

SP Secretary Rosalinda Callang said PDC members were unable to attend because Chair Melissa Umoso said that the governor told them that this matter was to be referred first.

He clarified that before passing the 2017 budget, the PDIP and Annual Investment Plan (AIP) must first be approved because they contain essential details for the budget.

The board instead passed a resolution seeking to clarify the issues surrounding the PDIP. Board Members Rosauro Resuello and De Asis expressed their reservations on the resolution.

The SP also appealed to the executive branch to “cooperate” with them so that they can “move on” in the tackling of the budget.

Vice-Governor Vargas said the SP is willing to have a public dialogue with the governor. He added that he is hopeful that the budget will also be passed.

Vargas once again reiterated that the SP always included the tackling of the budget in its sessions ans special committee hearings even without a mandamus from the court. Northernforum.net

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