BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental has set aside P56 million in the 2021 budget for the province’s coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response.
Next year’s P4.471 billion budget under the General Fund was unanimously passed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on third and final reading.
“There is a need to approve the budget early as funds are needed in the fight against COVID-19,” said Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer.
Some P36 million will be used to buy more test kits while P20 million will be for the operation of various quarantine facilities.
A separate budget of P128.073 million for the Economic Enterprise Development Department (EEDD) was approved by the SP under the guidelines set by the Department of Budget and Management.
The allocation for the EEDD is based on the province’s five-year business plan.
Under the 2021 General Fund, personal services have an allocation of P1.641 billion; maintenance and other operating expenses, P1.374 billion; capital outlay, P12 million; and special-purpose appropriations, P1.143 billion.
Next year’s funding will be sourced from tax revenues amounting to P98 million; non-tax revenues, P380.357 million; and Internal Revenue Allotment share, P3.993 billion.
First District SP mMember Rommel Debulgado, chairman of the committee on finance, said the budget for personal services is 36.71 percent of the total budget for 2021, including, among others, funds for the first tranche of pay increases under the Salary Standardization Law 5. (PNA/PN)
