MEMBERS of the city council vote for the approval of the revised Annual Investment Plan 2024 during the regular session on Monday, October 9. Councilors Jose Pepe Abbu Jr., Agapito Eriberto Suan, Yevonna Yacine Emano, and Christian Rustico Achas, also voted against Resolution No. 2023-151 which authorizes Mayor Rolando Uy to negotiate a loan with any disputable government banking institution to fund the project.
The proposed loan amount during the AIP’s first approval was only P1.6 billion but it increased to P2.7 billion after the local finance committee added some proposed amounts for the second phase of the land development and the project’s construction. The changes were made to address the concerns raised by some of the councilors and they also wanted to be open to possible offers that were more advantageous to the city government.
Cabanlas earlier said during the regular session on October 2 that the basis of the proposed loan amount to fund the project under Resolution No. 2023-151 still came from the previous proposal of P2.7 billion. One of the reasons for the transfer was to have a better space for parking, which for him is true, but he stressed that the government can always find ways.