BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved the city’s Annual Investment Plan (AIP) for this year but imposed the condition that the plans and studies of the city’s multi-million projects will be subject to confirmation prior to the bidding process.
The AIP contains the list of the local government’s priority development projects funded from the budget this year.
Aside from the confirmation of the plans and feasibility studies of some 7 major projects, local legislators also required concerned departments to submit to the council the plans and programs of work for projects costing at least P5 million prior to the conduct of the bidding process.
Among the projects that require the confirmation of the plans and studies include the construction of a multi-purpose parking building at Camp Allen barangay costing P210 million, the proposed walkway with removable or portable fence with lights and rehabilitation of comfort room at Melvin Jones – P17 million, implementation of Light Emitting Diode (LED) streetlights – P20 million, recovery and improvement of sidewalks along the central business district phase 2 – P5 million, slope protection and restoration of the road at Happy Hollow – P5 million, construction of main sewer line along the creek Phase 1 from Sanitary Camp to Lopez Jaena – P20 million and improvement of Mines View Park – P14.5 million.
The City Council underscored that projects for confirmation are those that are generic in nature to allow the check and balance in their implementation to avoid possible duplication of works, among other reasons, for the greater interest of the people of the city.
During an earlier caucus between members of the executive and legislative departments prior to the council’s regular session Monday, Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan reportedly agreed to the proposal of some local legislators for the placement of certain conditions in the approval of the city’s AIP to ensure that the concerned departments comply with the standards in the implementation of the city’s priority development projects.
Under existing rules and regulations, the City Council must first approve the proposed AIP prior to the approval of the proposed budget of the city government.
After the approval of the budget by the council and the signing of the same by the mayor, the approved budget is transmitted to the Cordillera office of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM-CAR) for review within a 90-day grace period.
Under the provisions of the Local Government Code, local legislative bodies are given a 90-day grace period to approve the proposed budgets of the concerned local government once it was not able to approve the same during the previous year and that it is barred from discussing other matters aside from the proposed budget.
While the budget of a local government is being tackled by the local legislative body, the operations of the local government unit will be governed by the re-enacted budget or the budget of the previous year.
By Dexter A. See
