Joaquin JACK Cariño

Baguio officials allot P20M to buy cars (for themselves)

Nov 17, '07 7:27 AM
for everyone

Baguio officials allot P20M to buy cars (for themselves)

BAGUIO CITY – The city council on Monday allotted close to P20 million for the purchase of vehicles for the use of its councilors, the vice mayor and the city mayor.

The amount will come from a 2006 city budget savings from their Internal Revenue Allotment worth P25.2 million.

The “car-plan” ordinance, numbered 057, was passed on its third and final reading on Monday. The ordinance was sponsored by pastor-turned politician Galo Weygan after the city’s Local Finance Committee certified the 2006 IRA surplus of P25 million.

Under the approved ordinance, P15 million will be used for the ‘car plan’ for the 14 councilors including the vice mayor, meaning a vehicle worth a little more than P1 million each.

The mayor would get an allotment of P4.6 million for his vehicle. The remaining P5.6 million was allotted for barangay projects which are to be identified by the members of the city council.

The ordinance was approved overwhelmingly.

Only councilor Antonio Tabora Jr. voted against the ordinance while councilors Rufino Panagan and Leandro Bayan Jr. were out of the session hall during the deliberation and voting, which was presided by councilor Rocky Thomas Balisong.

Asked to comment, Vice mayor Daniel Fariñas, who is now the acting mayor while mayor is on official visit to China said the city “needs more garbage trucks and sanitary landfill as priority, rather than cars”.

Tabora Jr. described the ordinance as “infuriating” because the allocation was done in obvious haste. He pointed out that he had asked for a deferment but the majority of the councilors prevailed during the voting.

Tabora Jr. said that with the car for each of the councilor, the city’s woes could multiply as it would have to shoulder payment for the driver for each of the councilor, the gas allocation for each of the vehicle and the subsequent maintenance of the vehicles.

Some policemen noted that three of their prowl cars have already been junked.

The city has one vehicle for each of the 10 sub-stations, one for the traffic division and two unmarked vehicles for operations while two SWAT vehicles double as prowl cars.

Baguio police spokesman Senior Police Officer 3 Virgilio Hidalgo said that three police units – the Scene of the Crime Operation (SOCO) unit, Child and Women Section and Operations Division - do not have vehicles.- GMANews.TV

Related LINKs --

http://igorotblogger.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-to-spend-p20-million.html#links

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/68999/Baguio-officials-allot-P20-million-fund-to-buy-cars

Tags: baguio, politics, garbage, political commentary, critique

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18 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

remtabjr wrote on Nov 17, '07

Hm-mn. Councilor's car run on a one "Galo-n gas". Interesting reading! Now there's a "vehicle-lization issue, Jack!...tfs :-)

baguiowriter wrote on Nov 17, '07

All of them have several cars of their own already. We saw that during the campaign period. Not enough, Iguess. But-- "What are they in power for????"

(In fairness, Doc's bro (Tabora) voted against it.)

sheryllene wrote on Nov 17, '07

TFS Sir. Tsk Tsk... Didn't know this... Maybe 2 or 3 cars is not enough for any of them... *Sigh*

paulescobar wrote on Nov 17, '07

jackcarino said

correct! hay.....

feelingpornstar wrote on Nov 18, '07

wow sabi yan ni tito dan? hahaha..

-zoilo (blacksheep ata ng Farinas family haha)

jackcarino wrote on Nov 18, '07, edited on Nov 27, '07

I am sure the ordinance will soon be vetoed because of its unpopularity.

I for one would prefer the monies go to poverty mapping of Baguio -- esp the barangays that have not had any decent roads from the very beginning, name them: Bgy. Crusher in Pinsao, Bakakeng, Balacbac, etc.

billbilig wrote on Nov 18, '07

Thanks for the link. Never thought I will see the day that Baguio officials will be that self-serving. I'm with you Jack in hoping that the mayor will veto it.

joelans64 wrote on Nov 19, '07, edited on Nov 19, '07

Effing PORK BARREL for COUNCILORS! Plain & Simple. RIDICULOUS! A FIRST IN THE NATION! HOY... MAHIYA NAMAN KAYO! Better buy GARBAGE TRUCKS for the City or PATROL CARS for the City's Police.

julietadevera wrote on Nov 20, '07

Build roads or feed the poor instead!

Comment deleted at the request of the author.

padmapani wrote on Nov 20, '07

What were they thinking??? So much else could be done for the city with that amount of money! How infuriating. How frustrating. Our city government seems to suffer from a poverty of imagination. Next time around, let's elect more imaginative officials! We need to vote in men and women who can see beyond their own noses!

altomonte wrote on Nov 21, '07

Let's remember their names, SPECIALLY the author of this f*cking crazy bill... goodbye forever in 2010!

carinokmg wrote on Nov 22, '07

Some of the councilors urgently need cars to conduct their (private and public) business?

Why not go to BBCCC along Assumption Rd, apply for membership & take out a car loan?

jackcarino wrote on Nov 24, '07

If you have been gifted with the people's trust, confidence and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be of great service to your community -- and on a high profile manner at that as an esteemed public official -- won't you be glad to give back in return with a few years of your own car/s' service? After all, this would enhance your very own brand of service. Or does that sound so messianic these days?

Either that or, maybe, they are in a hurry to get a return of investment. Or perchance, hindi makasingil or di makapagbayad.

A neophyte coucilor lent millions to some leading candidates during the election, so that in return, s/he could be included in all the other parties' own lineup.

Comment deleted at the request of the author.

baguiowriter wrote on Nov 24, '07, edited on Nov 24, '07

altomonte said

Let's remember their names, SPECIALLY the author of this f*cking crazy bill... goodbye forever in 2010!

Car Plan author, Galo Weygan, who is also the Character City advocate, must have been had for a car ride. Although a 3rd-termer councilor (goodbye talaga forever), he is said to be regretting the move which is said to have been ironed out as early as during the bonding session of City Hall people with the newly elected officials at Clark.

Now, Weygan's "Character City" campaign has become it's spoofed version as "CAR-acter City Malady."

jackcarino wrote on Nov 24, '07, edited on Nov 24, '07

Centennial Council's Fatal Blunder

It is not yet too late for our centennial councilors to redeem themselves from what is now turning out to be a fatal blunder. They can still collectively show that they are sensitive to public sentiment and recall the now infamous resolution. In that way, they can still turn a negative into a positive.

It would be sad if our centennial city council will lose their moral ascendancy to preside over our city's centennial celebrations because of their itch to ride in new cars. Maybe they still believe that their political savvy, which enabled them to win in the last elections, will prevail in the long haul.

Their appeals for citizens' participation in garbage segregation might fall in deaf ears if they insist on their right to have new cars from public funds.

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