Ex-VP turned Mayor Leni Robredo vows to remove confi funds in Naga budget

Former Vice President and now Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo vowed Monday to purge the city of corruption, including removing confidential fund allocation.

“We will institutionalize a fair and merit-based Human Resources System. The budget will be spent on essential programs. [And] given our very limited resources, we need to make some sacrifices,” Robredo said in Bicolano during her inauguration as Naga City chief.

“Primarily, we will remove confidential funds from our budget. So expect this to be gone. This sacrifice will be used to ensure that the local government will be efficient, and that it will only reward the employees who are genuinely dedicated in doing their job,” she added.

Robredo said she will immediately issue two executive orders implementing zero tolerance for corruption in the city through transparent procurement and mass regularization program for 107 casual employees serving 10 years and beyond.

“We will purge corruption here in Naga. There will be no inflated prices, SOP, kickback or acceptance of gifts in exchange of favors,” she said.

Under such system, Robredo said more people will be inspired to join, if not collaborate with the government, for swift delivery of social services.

“As we enter a new chapter, we are asked to remember that the progress we seek will only have meaning when it is felt across all spaces,” she added. 

Robredo is Naga's first female mayor. Her husband, the late Interior and Local Government secretary Jesse Robredo, also served as the city's mayor 37 years ago.—AOL, GMA Integrated News