NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.

The P451 million budget for Ubay this year has been held hostage at the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) due to Vice Mayor Victor Bonghanoy’s strong opposition to passing the ordinance.

The proposed budget was presented for the 6th time, but it has failed as Vice Mayor Bonghanoy has not made any ruling, like dividing the house for proper voting.

Bonghanoy stated that further discussions are needed through the committee of the whole before approving the budget, citing questionable allocations in some programs outlined in the proposed annual budget. A scheduled committee meeting failed due to the lack of a quorum.

However, the chairman of the Committee on Budget and Appropriations, Councilor Nardo Vallecera, explained that the committee meeting is no longer necessary since the proposal for the annual budget had already been approved at the committee level. He also clarified that in the last committee meeting, only committee members were called, as opposition councilors refused to attend.

Despite this, Bonghanoy insisted on holding another meeting with the committee of the whole.

During the SB session on Tuesday, debates on passing the annual budget intensified due to differing opinions among SB members. While the majority were in favor of approving the budget, they were unable to move forward as Bonghanoy refused to rule on the motion.

Due to Bonghanoy’s refusal to rule on the approval of the budget, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) intervened. 

Atty. Karen Ann Beniga, the Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (MLGOO) of Ubay, urged SB members, especially Bonghanoy, to follow parliamentary procedures in the discussion regarding the disputed 2025 annual budget.

Beniga also advised Bonghanoy not to monopolize the discussions.

He likewise suggested that the SB divides the house to clarify who were in favor or against the approval of the 451-million-peso budget. If Bonghanoy had any issues, Beniga recommended that he raise them in court.

However, Bonghanoy did not heed the DILG’s advice, stating that he could not compromise the budget approval just because the majority of SB members agreed to it.

The SB session in Ubay ended with more arguments, with the budget still unapproved.

Bonghanoy is a mayoral candidate in the upcoming election, running against Violy Reyes, the wife of current Mayor Costan Reyes and a member of the majority in the SB.