Laoag City vice mayor: Brgy budgets not affected by disapproved city budget

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff reporter

Laoag City—This city’s vice mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod presiding officer Atty. Franklin Dante A. Respicio disclosed that the budget of the 80 barangays here will not be affected by the disapproved 2019 annual budget.

“Ta adda daytoy review power iti Sangguniang Panlungsod a no after 30 days ket awan aksyon iti Sangguniang Panlungsod kadagiti barangay budgets, saan kayo a madanagan ta these will be deemed approved arig na a kasla met laeng inaprobaran iti konseho iti siyudad iti Laoag,” Mr. Respicio explained.

The vice mayor said this in response to Laoag councilor Shirley O. Sin’s opinion that they cannot tackle the barangay budgets until they approve or finally disapprove the city’s 2019 budget.

Mr. Respicio added that barangay budgets are deemed approved after 30 days from date of submission to the council if the councilors do not act on it.

“I will see to it that after 30 days, the presiding officer of the Sangguniang Panlungsod will be sending the necessary communications to the various barangays to convey deemed approved dagitay budgets yo,” Mr. Respicio stressed.

Reacting to this, Mrs. Sin, who is the council’s finance committee chair said: “Ay ket good a good for the barangays. Mayat met ketdi no umabot iti kasdiay tapnu saan a maibaybayag unay.”

She also noted that her opinion on the barangays’ budget is based on a Dept. of Interior and Local Government opinion that they cannot tackle any other issue at the council for 90 days until the city’s annual budget is either approved or disapproved with finality.