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MANDAUE CITY, Philippines ? Removing the P1.5 million appropriation for the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (Eruf) from the 2008 annual budget was not politically motivated, said Mandaue City Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna.
He said rules needed to be followed in handing out donations to non-government organizations (NGOs) like Eruf.
?In the budgeting process, aid to NGOs and people?s organizations (POs) are generic and the organization is not mentioned in the budget,? he said.
He said mentioning an organization?s name in the budget would appear favoring a particular private organization.
?That observation (it being politically motivated) is entirely wrong and without basis,? he said.
Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes earlier included in the budget an allocation of P1.5 million as subsidy for Eruf, which planned to set up operations in Mandaue after the foundation transferred to Cebu City in the 1990s.
Fortuna said Eruf should first meet some conditions before the release of financial assistance.
One is that the NGO should be a duly accredited group by the city government.
Fortuna said that while assistance to NGOs and POs are given a lump sum appropriation in the budget, access to the funds given to a particular organization should be backed by a resolution from the Council.
A memorandum of agreement should also be signed between the city government and Eruf.
?These are standard procedure,? Fortuna said. ?The mayor (Cortes) jumped the gun even before the requirements were complied by putting and naming it (Eruf) in the budget.?
Fortuna said it is an advantage to have Eruf set up a base in Mandaue but rules had to be followed. /Reporter Dale G. Israel
