MikeLigalig.com

Going on his third day as officer-in-charge of the city, Acting City Mayor Jose Antonio Veloso did not waste time in gathering the pressing needs of the city - from the complaints of bad roads, inefficient waterworks system to the call for transparency amid allegations of irregularities and financial improprieties hounding the mayor-on-leave, Dan Lim.

The city mayor is on a 27-day leave of absence purportedly to give Veloso an opportunity to look into the said allegations with the help of city executives.

However, some sectors even identified with the mayor view the decision of the mayor as a way to evade an impending suspension that could arise from 4 cases filed against him at the Ombudsman and the court.

For Veloso, he earlier said that he expects sensitive offices as the city treasurer's office and that of the city budget to be "sanitized" already even before the mayor left.
         

However, despite this, he assumed as acting mayor by operation of law and after the mayor personally informed him through a letter on his assumption as acting mayor effective May 24 until June 22.

Starting his assumption as acting chief executive last Monday, Veloso said among his main priorities will be to sit down with City Budget Officer Rosemarie Palma to discuss the city's total revenues against expenditures.

Also a concern is the number of casual employees being hired by the current administration. He said, this is under the direct supervision of City Administrator Walter Toston who is the concurrent Human Resource head.

PROGRAM OF WORKS

Today, Veloso expects to meet with City Engineer Pianicita Castolo, a much-awaited meeting as the latter had reportedly promised to provide the program of works for the controversial Gallares Street road concreting project.

Costing over P19-million, opposition lawmakers insist that the road improvement project is overpriced. For months now, City Kagawad Zenaido Rama had been asking for a justification on the project cost that is way beyond agency estimates.

Aside from the Gallares road project, Castolo is likewise expected to provide the scope of work and details of the city road rehabilitation project which has an approved funding of P53 million.

BLUE CARD

Also in the acting mayor's agenda is a report on the status of obligations of the city government to hospitals accredited under the Blue Card free hospitalization program.

It may be recalled that despite a budget of P4 million in 2007 exclusively for the Blue Card program, the city government owed the Gov. Celestino Gallares Regional Hospital some P1 million in unpaid hospitalization bills claimed by Blue Card patients.

"Aside from the status of payables, the program administrators until now have not complied with the reporting requirements as specified in the city ordinance," Veloso added.

The acting mayor also said he received numerous complaints regarding the inefficient supply of water in the Uptown and Belderol Street areas. - The Bohol Chronicle

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