By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Payments for projects established before the election ban are now allowed to proceed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Occidental.

Provincial administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz said he received a response from Comelec-NegOcc supervisor Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria on the pending release of checks to contractors and suppliers of the provincial government.

Diaz sent a letter to Ananoria to seek an opinion on what can be done with the budget for these projects.

The official clarified that checks can now be released if the projects began before the election ban.

However, payments cannot be released if the project commenced during the election period.

Diaz said there are checks ready for release as payment to contractors and suppliers for the provincial government’s various projects.

A current ban on the release of public funds was imposed due to the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on October 30./DGB, WDJ