Talisay Budget Officer Denies P39M Deficit

Talisay City budget officer Edgardo Mabunay refuted claims that the city is in deficit by P39 million when Mayor Johnny delos Reyes assumed office.

“Di ta allowed ma-deficit, violation na sa Local Govenment Code,” said Mabunay. Mabunay said the city might have run out of cash by the time Delos Reyes took his seat, but it does not mean the city was deficit already. “Wap-a man mag-closing so di ya kasulti nga deficit na. Pero dili man gyud allowed ma-deficit ang LGU,” Mabunay explained.

The city budget officer said the city is running on a P300-million of internal revenue allotment plus the P147 million income for this year alone. He said it can not exhaust that large sum in just two quarters. And besides, they always have a “surplus” funds after every end of the year, he said. “We always have a surplus because we can’t spend beyond what is approved (by the council),” he said.

Mabunay’s explanation came after it was reported that the city is already in deficit by P39 million, after the administration under the
leadership of former Mayor Socrates Fernandez had allegedly exhausted the city’s funds before it turned over the City Hall to the new
administration.