Zero budget in barangay subsidy upsets Bontoc bocaps

By Gina Dizon

 

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- What happened to the P20,000 barangay subsidy  received by each barangay of this capital town  2008? 

Barangay captain Erlinda Bucaycay, now running for a town council seat,  in a press conference said the P20,000 fund enjoyed by barangay local government units is not anymore received due zero budget for  barangay subsidy  for 2013. 

Bucaycay said the disappearance of  the  P20,000  barangay subsidy enjoyed by the 16 barangay LGUs  means lack of budget for barangay  tanods and other barangay development programs.

She added barangay captains protested before the office of  MayorPascual Sacgaca non-budgeting of  barangay subsidy for 2013.  

Former municipal mayor and now mayoral aspirant Franklin Odsey noted that the current municipal budget for  2013  heavily increased  executive  funds at the expense of barangay  subsidy. 

Municipal Ordinance 120 passed in 2008 appropriated the amount of P320,000 from the yearly  20% development funds of the municipal LGU of Bontoc  allotting P20,000 barangay subsidy per  barangay. 

There are  16 barangays of  Bontoc.

Said 2008 ordinance amended  municipal ordinance 103 authored by then councilor and now  councilor aspirant   Herman Farnican,  “automatically allocating  P640,000  from the  20% municipal development fund  as financial assistance  for   development  projects to the 16 barangays of Bontoc.” 

Odsey who was then the mayor in 2008 said he “did not  sign said resolution as he was not in favour of  amending  municipal ordinance  103  and reducing  the P40,000 barangay  subsidy”.  

Ordinance 103 was  passed  in 2006 by the  Sangguniang  Bayan of Bontoc then  chaired by vice mayor Odsey and made effective  January 1 of 2007.

Said  resolution was approved by  the Sangguniang   Panlalawigan of  Mountain Province then chaired by  Vice Gov. Benjamin Dominguez  November 20, 2006. 

Aspirant-councilor and lawyer Sannyster Patingan said if he is given the chance to sit in the municipal council, he will introduce amendments to ordinance 120 back to its  original  P40,000 subsidy  or even increase subsidy to 50,000 or  more.