Vice Mayor Benedict Jasper Simon R. Lagman of San Fernando City, Pampanga has proposed to convene a meeting between the executive and the legislative offices of the local government amid their reported rift.
He made the statement after Mayor Vilma Caluag reportedly admitted that the relationship between her office and that of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), which serves as the LGU’s legislative office, was not good.
“I think it’s high time that equally na magkaroon ng executive-legislative meeting to clear all the concerns at mga sentiments,” he said in an interview over radio station RW 95.1FM on Wednesday, August 14. Lagman, being the vice mayor, is the head of the legislative office.
He underscored the importance of having a “harmonious relationship” between the two branches of the LGU.
The vice mayor also admitted that the SP members unanimously declared City Administrator Nelson Lingat “persona non grata.”
This was after some misunderstanding during a hearing of the SP Committee on Appropriations.
“Nagkaron lang ng konting hindi pagkakaunawaan during the deliberation,” he said, adding that the matter was also brought up during the SP plenary session.
However, he noted that he was not present at that time since he was on an official trip to Africa.
Caluag reportedly said that many of the projects that the executive proposed were disapproved by the City Council.
Lagman acknowledged that the proposed 2024 supplemental budget was one of the issues that the SP sought clarification on.
He said the Council was wondering as early as June this year, the executive was already asking for a supplemental budget.
When the committee sought an explanation and the documents regarding the utilization of funds, the vice mayor said, “ang pinupunto ng executive side, is the Data Privacy Act.
“I think, in aid of legislation, hindi ho ‘yan subject to that (Data Privacy Act). It’s just an internal, sabi ko nga as a co-equal branch, ito ho e parehong kailangan ‘yun in aid of legislation. Never that it’s politics. It’s part of the job,” he explained.
With the declaration of Lingat as persona non grata, Lagman said technically the latter is not welcome in the SP sessions.
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