Insisting that they were strictly on a “traveling
workshop,” not on a junket, some ninety-four
(94) barangay and city officials are slated to arrive
today after a week-long three-city tour, which
earned negative feedback from the general public.
But some positive thinkers
also admired such trip saying it
will help widen the horizons of
our city officials, who can think
of better ways to improve their
style of governance in comparison
with some places.
Mayor Chiquiting
Sagarbarria, who authorized
the travel of the city department
heads and barangay
captains, defended the officials
and maintained that
they went to Baguio,
Legaspi and Makati to attend seminars related to disaster preparedness
and management
ABC Pres. Albert Aquino
admitted that the Sendong and
earthquake experiences here
showed weakness in an efficient
public alert system, low
communication protocol, absence
of a workable evacuation
plan, and teamwork.
The Barangay Captains
were the ones who signed the
authority to travel of the
Barangay Councilors,
Barangay Secretaries,
Barangay Treasurer and SK
Chairmen, who joined the trip
with the cost estimated at P1
million thereabouts charged
against the barangay calamity
funds with a P300,000 counterpart
from the city government.
While public funds may
not be the issue here, the ABC
president Kag. Albert Aquino
told DYEM FM news that the
entire trip, which cost at least
P800-thousand, should be fully
accounted for. Bert Aquino
sourced it from: P400k from
the Liga ng ABC; P300k from
the city government; P100k
from Gov. Degamo’s intelligence
funds; and P60K from
Rep. Arnaiz’ pork barrel. Total
P860,000.
Per government regulation,
for allowances, each one
had an P800/day per diem x 7
days x 94 city officials =
P526,000.
The people were told that
94 public officials, for 7 days,
spent for food at P300/day;
plane ticket at an average of
P3,000 per pax; dormitory at
P200 per pax; and P300 per
pax for bus fares from Manila,
Albay, Manila, Baguio, Manila.
Until all funds are accounted
for, these are simple
ballpark figures, Aquino said.
Rowna Duran, ABC accountant,
was promised by ABC
head Bert Aquino to give the
public, thru media, a detailed
rundown of overall expenses.
Aquino firmly defended
the trip as beneficial to the preparedness
and anti-disaster literacy
of barangay officials. He
challenged the citizens to demand
from their barangay officials
tangible results out of
their week-long trip by means
of concrete preparedness plans
and policies against natural disasters
for their villages.
Mayor Sagarbarria, himself,
caught up with the
traveling officials on April 26
in Legaspi City, while Vice-
Mayor Alan Gel Cordova returned
to the city without joining
the Baguio leg of the trip.
While the Department of
Interior and Local Government
frown on out-of-town trips of
local officials charged against
the LGU funds, yet this is allowed
in places with a track
record of good practices in
various aspects of governance
duly acknowledged by higher
bodies of government. (By
Dems Demecillo)
