Joe III to defend 2019 budget

ILOILO CITY Mayor Jose Espinosa III (foreground) and the rest of Nacionalista Party members walk past the City Hall on the first day of the filing of the certificate of candidacy with the Commission on Elections, Oct. 11, 2018.

ILOILO City Mayor Jose Espinosa III said he is ready to defend the city government’s proposed P2.3-billion budget for 2019.

Espinosa said he received information that the opposition councilors will disapprove the budget, particularly the allocations to the executive branch.

“Depensahan ko siya if wala na sa lugar ang pamaagi. I’m the chief executive so I will do my homework to defend the budget,” Espinosa said.

The recent revamp at the City Council is speculated to be part of the deliberations on the proposed budget.

Espinosa’s ally, Councilor Ed Peñaredondo, was replaced by Councilor Plaridel Nava as deputy floor leader and chair of the Committee on Appropriations.

Peñaredondo earlier said that without the “rigodon”, they initially aimed to approve the budget by middle of December.

The mayor said they are studying the repercussions if the budget will not be approved.

“It will be announced kung matabo na. Kay ti wala pa man. Gahambal pa man lang sila. Basi malumpayan man sila nga maayo man gali,” he said.

Espinosa said he is also willing to initiate the move and reach out to the opposition councilors.

Of the 14 city councilors, six are allies of the mayor – Peñaredondo, R Leoni Gerochi, Liezl Joy Zulueta-Salazar, Lyndon Acap, Candice Tupas, and Mandrei Malabor.

Six also belongs to the camp of Rep. Jerry Treñas, Espinosa’s rival for the mayoral race – Jay Treñas, Lady Julie Grace Baronda, Armand Parcon, Ely Estante, Irene Ong, and Leila Luntao.

Councilors Nava and Joshua Alim are rumored to have formed an alliance with the congressman but the duo said it’s more of a working alliance at the city council, not in the 2019 elections.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

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