Tom asks budget officer to explain P1-billion supplemental budget

Local

CEBU City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña has called on the Cebu City Budget Office to justify a proposed nearly P1-billion supplemental budget.

He cited the lack of transparency and detailed explanations behind the requested increases.

In a letter dated April 20 addressed to Acting City Budget Officer Roseny Reyes, Osmeña sought the basis for the proposed increases under Supplemental Budget No. 1 for the General Fund Proper, particularly P754 million for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and P210 million for Capital Outlay.

He asked the Budget Office to submit a comparative breakdown for each department, including current and proposed allocations, the amount and percentage of increase, and specific justifications establishing the “necessity and/or urgency” of the request.

Osmeña also sought supporting documents, including cost breakdowns, payroll distribution and manpower requirements, terms of reference for consultancy services, particularly a flood mitigation and river rehabilitation study, and detailed Program of Works and Estimates (POWE) for capital outlay projects.

He clarified, however, that expenditures related to garbage collection would not be questioned due to the ongoing fuel crisis.

“Due to the fuel crisis, we will not question the budget on garbage,” the letter read.

In a press conference on Tuesday, April 21, Osmeña noted the scale of the proposed increase and criticized what he described as a lack of transparency in the submission.

“First, let me emphasize, they’re not asking for P50,000. They’re not asking for P500,000. They’re not asking for P5 million… They’re asking for almost P1 billion,” he said.

“Because they ask for more money and they don’t tell you why… Which is ridiculous.”

He stressed that the request was not for a fresh budget, but an additional allocation on top of existing appropriations.

“You already know from the beginning, it’s not zero. There’s already a budget… And what they’re asking is extra P1 billion, and they do not tell you why,” he added.

Osmeña said he intends to scrutinize all items under the proposal, rejecting suggestions to focus on select entries.

“When they ask, what item are you questioning? I said… every item,” he said.

The vice mayor also pointed out what he described as gaps in the submitted documents, particularly the absence of baseline data needed for comparison.

“You look at the supplemental budget… the existing column is missing. It’s only the column of what they’re asking,” he said.

“Hello? So that’s where… corruption is.”

He cited “continuing appropriations” as one example of items that require further explanation.

He noted that some projects appeared to be requesting additional funds without clear justification.

“They ran out of money in the implementation of some existing projects… So they’re asking for more. Why?” he said.

Osmeña also raised concerns about requests for additional personnel, warning of long-term fiscal impact if hiring is not justified.

“They’ll give you… 300 more employees. Why?” he said.

He estimated that each additional employee could cost the city around P175,000 annually when factoring in salary, benefits, and operational expenses.

“If you give somebody a job and he doesn’t deserve it, what does the people lose?” he said.

Osmeña said his push for detailed justifications is aimed at preventing misuse of public funds and ensuring that spending aligns with actual needs.

“Is it possible to have good politics and good government? The answer is yes. But you have to know how to do it,” he said.

He also pointed to his office’s reported savings, around P600 million for the latter half of 2025, as proof that tighter fiscal management is possible without compromising basic services.

“My savings last year is P600 million… And that’s only for six months,” he said.

Osmeña maintained that he is prepared to challenge the proposal even if it proves politically unpopular.

He emphasized that public funds must be fully accounted for before approval.

“If people want to kick me out, I’ll go… But I go with a straight face,” he said.(TGP)