Kalinga SP committee hearing on P1.9B loan of Tabuk City postponed

Tabuk City, Kalinga – The Kalinga SP committee hearing on the P1.9 Billion loan of Tabuk City this August 16, 2021, was postponed due to lack of quorum, and it shall be rescheduled sometime next week.

Despite the postponement of the committee hearing, members of the Kalinga Apayao Religious Association (KARSA), who requested to be invited, were able to cite their preliminary observations on said loan to present members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

During the discussion with the Committee on Rules and Appropriation members present at that time, KARSA members asked regarding the processes of the loan and the requirements.

The three main questions that KARSA asked were whether a loan without a feasibility study can be approved, a lump sum appropriation is allowed, and loan applications with projects lacking details (without specific items) are allowed. Bishop Renato Abibico said such a loan application is clearly not well planned nor judiciously deliberated.

The Bishop made clear he is not against the loan nor KARSA, but would like to emphasize the need for a clear explanation since the money to be spent is taxpayers' money.

Role of the Kalinga Sangguniang Panlalawigan

Resolutions of municipalities and the city are submitted to the province for review and approval. According to the board members present, what they do is only to review that processes, rules and requirements of applying for the loan are duly complied with.

It is not the work of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to question the wisdom behind it.

Relative to this, members of the Committee have also explained the process of loan for the Provincial Local Government Unit in which they made sure that all projects indicated therein are detailed and have been deliberated and thoroughly studied before its approval.

Where will the P1.9B loan of Tabuk City go?

The development programs and projects to be funded under the P1.9B loan of Tabuk City are the following:

1. Construction of 100-bed level II Tabuk City hospital amounting to P950,000,000

2. Improvement of Various Roads from unpaved to paved for P745,000,000

3. Construction of Legislative Building for P110,000,000

4. Improvement of City Hall Building and Compound for P90,000,000, and

5. Construction of Training Center-Balong Agro-Food for P30,000,000.

With said projects, KARSA pointed out why the City did not identify the ‘various roads.’ They wanted to know what are the specific locations or barangays where said roads will be constructed, their specifications, and beneficiaries. “Are we not supposed to identify the roads first before we appropriate or make the loan?” asked Abibico.

Aside from this, the group has also mentioned their observation regarding the P950 million allocated for the construction of 100-bed level II Tabuk City hospital saying that a feasibility study and a certification from the Department of Health should have been presented prior to its approval.

What can happen?

The Committee on Rules and Appropriation shall again meet to review the loan application of Tabuk City (resolution). As a response to the KARSA, members of the committee in charge present during the supposed hearing said that all issues raised will be noted for their recommendation, which will be forwarded by the Committee to SP Tabuk.

However, they clarified that, though they have the power to recommend and note their findings, it is up to the City LGU if they are going to follow it or not.

Previously, KARSA wrote a letter to SP-Kalinga and requested for a public hearing of the P1.9 billion loan of the City LGU where they could participate “to be more informed of the processes of the government transactions and the facts and truth behind the loan”.

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