After adopting the committee report on the proposed ordinance, Sodusta wanted to registered his position on the matter during the regular session on November 5. The following is his speech:
Good afternoon, to our Honorable Presiding Officer, colleagues in this honored chamber, members of the media, guests and everyone here present, and to all watching the broadcast of these proceeding live on the internet and television.
I rise to register and place on the record my opposition to the proposed Ordinance to obtain a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) in the amount of 1 Billion Pesos and use the same for the expenses enumerated therewith. Particularly, I am against the loan in the amount of 900,000.00 pesos or almost a billion pesos to be used in the following:
development of the port in Caticlan - 550 million
development of the port in Cagban - 150 million
multi level parking - 150 million
Facade of the Capitol Building - 50 million
Total of 900 - million
To complete the 1 billion loan, 76 million is for the use in the improvement of the hospital particularly in the procurement of the oxygen plant, medical waste decomposer and improvement of the 3 storey building.
The remaining 24 million is for the rehabilitation of a bulldozer, purchase of a tractor head, purchase of a fuel truck, purchase of a back hoe hydraulic breaker and the purchase of a 14 footer stake truck. Why 24 million for all of these, I do not know but I am sure there is an explanation for all these amounts, whether plausible or not.
I cannot in conscience and even in logic think of any reason why we have to obtain the loan to finance said projects. The National Government with its build build build motto as we can see now is fully committed and is taking the lead in the developmental projects that are ongoing in the Island of Boracay. We can let the different departments spend the national government’s money as what they are now doing in the developments and infrastructures there, and not use our own money, more so that we have to borrow the money that we intend to spend there.
As it stands now, we are even uncertain of what will happen to the tourism industry in the island. We already experienced the closure and the sad reality that it can be closed, and our income sources as a result were also closed. This can happen again and anytime soon. And now is not the time to particularly borrow money to spend on something that is uncertain. We all would like to see Boracay Island recover but we must at least give it some time so we can see a clearer picture of the future of the island. Our investment of almost a billion pesos in there would be like placing all our eggs in one basket so to speak. If something goes wrong, which we all pray should not happen, then we are all left and even our future generation saddled with a debt that would be hard to pay.
50 million of the amount is to be used in the improvement of the façade of the capitol building. I am not against the beautification of the frontage, the face of our capitol building, but if we have to borrow the money to beautify the face of our iconic capitol building then I believe that is not ideal nor even reasonable. Fifty million is fifty million. We can use this for the unquenchable health care program for our constituents. To beautify is okay but to borrow money so that we can beautify is a little bit off tangent. If we have the extra money that we can already use then so be it, but no to borrowing for this purpose.
As a representative of the people who placed me in this position, in the council that meets in this chamber where ideas are conceptualized and plans are made for the future of our Province, especially that there is a growing clamor from the people regarding this loan the Province is planning to obtain and use, I register my opposition to the same.
Thank you Mr. Chair.
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