[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’City’s P2.08-B budget OK’d ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MERIANNE GRACE EREÑETA
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
ILOILO City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) approved the city government’s Executive Annual Budget for 2017 amounting to P2,089,960,758.
The 2017 budget is P81,285,491 lower than the 2016 budget of P2,171,246,249.
According to Councilor Eduardo Peñaredondo, chairperson of the SP committee on appropriations, the 2016 annual budget is higher due to the P360-million loan for the construction of K-12 buildings.
“Without the loan, our net budget for 2016 is only P1,811,246,249. We borrowed from Landbank of the Philippines for the construction of eight units of four-storey classrooms to meet the shortage of classrooms due to the K-12 program,” said Peñaredondo.
Meanwhile, Peñaredondo said, the 2017 budget also has an allocation for city hall casual workers and honorarium-based workers good for 11 months, and allowances for judges and prosecutors good for 12 months.
The city government is doubling the allowances of judges and prosecutors – from P5,000 per month in 2016 to P10,000 per month next year.
“Teachers, police officers and other national government officials were also budgeted for 12 months, together with our statutory and contractual obligations,” said Peñaredondo.
For the statutory or mandatory obligations, the city allocated P426,710,121; for contractual obligations, P108,540,000; for financial assistance and other obligations, P163,350,940; and for programs or projects, P81,893,636.
There were funds, too, for terminal leave benefits of retiring employees.
The total capital outlay for offices under the executive department reached P25,650,000 lumped in the budget of City Mayor’s Office.
Appropriations for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) in all departments for 2017 were almost similar to the 2016 allocation.
The MOOE-Education Support Service amounting to P2,032,800 placed under the Technical Institute of Iloilo City (TIIC) has been transferred to MOOE-Education Support Service of the Iloilo City Community College. Peñaredondo cited “clerical error in the preparation.”
“The committee (on appropriations) has touched on the salient matters of our 2017 annual budget and we assure the council that with the total budget for 2017 of P2,089,960,758, our city can best answer and meet the basic needs of our constituents to the best we can and further continue the fast pace of development of our city,” Peñaredondo said./PN
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
