A MAKATI City councilor on Thursday called out members of the new majority in the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council) for allegedly holding proposed benefits for senior citizens hostage to politics, decrying the delay in hearing the proposed ordinance at the committee level.
“The proposed additional P10,000 annual cash gift for senior citizens aged 90 to 99 endorsed by Mayor Abigail Binay Campos was not immediately taken up by the concerned committees after the session this Wednesday, as was the usual practice. I urge them not to resort to holding proposed benefits hostage to politics,”Maria Concepcion “Ichi” Yabut said.
She noted that a request to calendar said ordinance for committee hearing was sent by her office as soon as it was referred to the Committees on Social Services and Laws, Rules and Ethics chaired by Councilor Marie Alethea Casal-Uy and Councilor Nemesio Yabut Jr., respectively, but has gone unheeded.
The city councilor also asked why it will take her colleagues a month to deliberate on the 2019 budget proposal of the city, when it could be done in two to three days, as in the past.
“The members of the new majority were also present during the pre-budget hearings conducted last July 4 to 30 with all the departments and offices of the city government. Thus, I see no plausible reason it should take them that long to finish the budget review. It appears they are dragging their feet on this urgent matter, to the detriment of our constituents,” Yabut said.
The former majority floor leader of the city council also said they insisted on using a smaller conference room to hold the special sessions, even though the main Session Hall was available.
“We owe it to our Makatizens to be transparent. Why do they want to hide the proceedings from the public eye? What possible reason could they have in avoiding a venue where their words and actions can be scrutinized by our constituents and the public?” she asked.
Her sentiments were echoed by Councilor Armand Padilla, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay, who also cited several instances when they required the secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod to attend the budget deliberations at the committee level for the purpose of transcribing and preparing the minutes.
“That is not part of the duties of the secretary to the Sanggunian. Most of them have been longtime councilors; they ought to know better,” he said.