SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Antique’s provincial government will operate on a reenacted budget after the Sangguniang Panlalawigan failed to pass the 2019 budget during its regular session on Jan. 17.
Acting provincial information officer Galileo Magbanua, in an interview Friday, said the provincial government will be operating on a reenacted budget until the 2019 P1.421 billion annual budget is approved.
“The reenacted budget would be from January 1 and until such time that the provincial board could approve the budget for the year,” he said.
The 2018 reenacted annual budget is P1.31 billion.
Magbanua added during the provincial board session last Thursday that another executive session will be held on January 21 for the SP committees on appropriation and local finance to discuss the 2019 budget.
The local finance committee is composed of the treasurer, budget, accounting, planning and development officers, he said.
He said the provincial board wanted to slash the budget like the Aid to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) to P8 million from the proposed P10 million.
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office said the amount is already low considering the number of indigent Antiqueños requesting for financial assistance.
Other projects included in the 2019 appropriation are also being questioned by the provincial board, such as the purchase of sanitary toilets for distribution to households.
Magbanua said as a result some job order workers will not be renewed this year.
“In the case of the PIO, there are ten job orders who are doing essential work, such as writers, cameramen, and videographers,” he said, noting that he would like to retain them in the office.
Meanwhile, Acting human resource management officer Rene Oberio said he is just waiting for the heads of offices at the capitol to furnish him the contracts of the job orders.
“As of the moment, I still cannot say as to how many would be renewed,” he said.
The provincial government has about 1,500 job orders as of December 2018. (PNA)
