CEBU, Philippines – Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and the Cebu Provincial Board (PB) have agreed to transfer the appropriations for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan from the executive department to the legislative after a closed-door meeting last Tuesday.

This will be made formal and official through the passage of a supplemental budget which will transfer items from the 2011 annual budget. The allocation will be submitted by Garcia within the week for consideration of the PB in the latter’s session next week.

During the meeting which was also attended by newly-installed Cebu Vice-Governor Agnes Magpale who replaced the late Gregorio Sanchez, Jr., Garcia announced that she was preparing a supplemental budget of over R100 million.

The amount, she said, will cover appropriations for the Legislative Assistance Fund (LAF) which were not released in the second half of last year, the present LAF of provincial board members and the salaries and wages of some 11 casual and contractual employees in each PB office.

Garcia, however, did not yet have the total amount of last year’s balance of the PB members’ LAF. She asked Budget Officer Emme Gingoyon to compute the amount, which will be included in the supplemental budget.

The Cebu governor also gave assurances that while the post left by Magpale as fifth district board member remains vacant, that post would still be getting the same appropriations as the other PB members.

PB members agreed that Magpale should be the one to dispose funds for her constituents aside from the budget of the Vice-Governor’s office.