By Bohol Chronicle
City Vice Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso denied there were any irregularities in the use of a cash advance released to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) which was intended for a budget workshop.
The vice mayor was charged by the city mayor at the Ombudsman for malversation, technical malversation of public funds and falsification for allegedly diverting the amount of P52,500 which was originally intended to defray expenses of a budget programming and planning workshop at the Bohol Beach Club on September 5, 2008.
But according to Veloso, the workshop was intended to discuss the city government's budget with the city mayor and it was agreed upon by the SP which consequently approved the said amount for the activity's expenses.
The amount was released on September 4, 2008 but the workshop did not push through as the mayor declined the SP's invitation to attend the workshop while city budget officer Rosemarie Palma was also barred from participating in the activity.
In a letter to Veloso, the mayor said that "the actuations of the minority members (of the SP) indicate that they know more thank the Chief Executive on matters involving the Executive Department."
Veloso explained that the P52,500 intended for the workshop was never given to him but the amount allotted for the workshop was released to Mansueta Sale, the secretary of the SP.
The vice mayor added that since the city's budget was not yet approved at that time, the SP pushed through with another activity for the direction setting and harmonization of the 2009 SP budget which was held at the Soledad Suites on December 5, 2008.
Thirty-six city hall officials and employees attended the activity for which the SP paid P30,000 out of the P52,500 originally intended for the budget programming workshop. According to Veloso the balance of P22,500 was returned to the city treasurer as evidenced by an official receipt.
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