BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Apart from untangling unsightly spaghetti wires atop poles, the mayor-elect here has started to unravel issues ahead of his formal assumption to City Hall a month from now.
What he knows so far: an average of at least P1 million a day is being spent for job order casuals or JOs as they are called here.
Benitez, in a fellowship dinner with the local press, said he was informed just recently that the Mayor’s Office here allocates an annual budget of P365 million for the salaries of JO casuals.
He did not elaborate on the data source.
Benitez also said he has asked the members of a Truth Commission he has created to “dig deep” into transactions by the local government.
The Commission, he added, will assess, audit and investigate all transactions.
Leonardia, has served for two straight three-year terms from 2016 to 2022 after he went back to City Hall after a three-year term in Congress.
He has also served intermittently as mayor since 1992 and has been reputed as the longest serving chief executive for a total of 18 years.
