Bantayan Council Defies Mayor, Approves P39 Million for Barangay Projects
The Municipal Council of Bantayan in Cebu has successfully overridden the veto of Mayor Orlando Layese, pushing through a significant P39 million realignment from the town's Appropriation Ordinance to fund financial assistance for all 25 barangays across the island municipality.
Council Exercises Authority Under Local Government Code
Through Resolution 744, series of 2025, authored by Councilor Edwin Delos Reyes, the council reinstated the vetoed item after securing more than a two-thirds vote during its November 12 regular session. The council asserted its authority under the Local Government Code to modify and realign items in the annual budget, including savings and underutilized funds.
The substantial funding will support various community development initiatives including:
- Farm-to-market roads and barangay access routes
- Drainage systems and coastal resource management
- Agricultural programs and tourism site development
- Construction of a Civil Development Center
- Expansion of water systems and road rehabilitation
- Procurement of heavy equipment for agriculture
Supplemental Budgets Boost Local Empowerment
The council also adopted Supplemental Budgets 1, 2 and 3, released through separate public notices. These cover additional outlays for machinery, emergency works, and barangay-level projects. Supplemental Budget 1 includes capital outlay items such as excavators, road rollers, and municipal vehicles, while subsequent budgets address smaller barangay requests like road grading, street lighting, and improvements to rural access points.
In a phone interview on Sunday, November 16, Bantayan Vice Mayor Art Despi explained that the move aims to strengthen barangay development efforts. He referenced the "Beautification Bantayan Ordinance" approved in June 2025, which created a barangay empowerment program directing communities to identify their priority development projects.
Despi revealed that funding for these programs, carried in Supplemental Budget 3, had been vetoed by Mayor Layese. Without the supplemental budget, the executive department would retain full control of appropriations, leaving barangays unable to pursue their planned initiatives.
This is not the first instance of the council overriding a veto. Despi recalled that the council previously empowered the vice mayor to appoint and contract a monitoring unit for the Beautification Bantayan Ordinance after the Office of the Mayor allegedly failed to establish the required unit.
The council further demonstrated its budgetary authority by approving Resolution 248, adopting Appropriation Ordinance 7 for 2025 to implement Supplemental Budget 7 amounting to P46.5 million for municipal programs and projects.
With the veto override complete, the ordinance takes effect as if the mayor had signed it. However, Mayor Layese may still elevate the dispute to the Provincial Board or the Department of the Interior and Local Government for further resolution.
