CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Four minority legislators on Monday, October 9, voted against the approval of this city’s revised Annual Investment Program (AIP) 2024 due to the inclusion of over P2 billion in the proposed loan amount for the proposed Cagayan de Oro Government Center and Ecotourism Site project.

MEMBERS of the city council vote for the approval of the revised Annual Investment Plan 2024 during the regular session on Monday, October 9. (Photo courtesy of the CdeO City Council Facebook page) 

Councilors Jose Pepe Abbu Jr., Agapito Eriberto Suan, Yevonna Yacine Emano, and Christian Rustico Achas, also voted against Resolution No. 2023-151 which authorizes Mayor Rolando Uy to negotiate a loan with any disputable government banking institution to fund the project.

The revised AIP 2024, under proposed Resolution No. 2023-517, increased its proposed amount to P14.5 billion from P10.8 billion under Resolution No. 2023-510, which was approved during the regular session on September 25.

According to the Department of Interior and Local Government, the AIP is a component of the Local Development Investment Program (LDIP) that represents the annual portion of the total resources needed for all programs, projects, and activities (PPAs), which include the annual capital expenditure and regular operating requirements of a local government unit.

The proposed loan amount during the AIP’s first approval was only P1.6 billion but it increased to P2.7 billion after the local finance committee added some proposed amounts for the second phase of the land development and the project’s construction.

Abbu raised a query during the session why the previous proposed amount of P2.7 billion was still the amount indicated in the revised AIP.

The basis of the proposed amount of P2.7 billion from the city appraisal committee’s report and other documents was not included after then proposed Ordinance No. 2023-310 – the first proposed ordinance that was introduced for the plan to loan – was substituted with Resolution No. 2023-151.

The changes were made to address the concerns raised by some of the councilors and they also wanted to be open to possible offers that were more advantageous to the city government.

Under AIP 2024, the proposed amount for the land acquisition for the Government Center and Ecotourism Site project was over P1.5 billion while P250 million is for the land development and P920 million is for the project’s construction.

City Council Majority Floor Leader Edgar Cabanlas said the proposed amount is just an estimate as they could not yet provide the exact figure. “We are not saying that this will be the amount to be spent…We must have some kind of intelligent guess as to how much that loan will be,” he added.

Cabanlas earlier said during the regular session on October 2 that the basis of the proposed loan amount to fund the project under Resolution No. 2023-151 still came from the previous proposal of P2.7 billion.

With the objections being raised, Cabanlas moved the division of the house, and the majority of the councilors voted in favor of the revised AIP 2024.

Abbu said after the session that he could not see the why the city government is hastening the establishment of a government center, or what they call the transfer of city hall, considering that the current area is still considered fine.

One of the reasons for the transfer was to have a better space for parking, which for him is true, but he stressed that the government can always find ways.

“(The local government) can allocate parking (space) exclusively for those people who will transact business in city hall. Because most of the parked vehicles here are from city hall employees,” Abbu said in an interview over iFM Cagayan de Oro, adding that the city hall can be transferred, but it shouldn’t be rushed.

City Vice Mayor Jocelyn Rodriguez had earlier said that the current city hall is not Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)-friendly, especially those with leg impairments since there is no elevator.

Uy said that based on the area and the number of complaints they have received, the city hall should now be transferred, considering the development achieved by the city.