The Iloilo Provincial Government is pushing for P3.23 billion budget for 2021. The budget package was transmitted to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan Friday last week.
Next year’s proposed annual budget is 6-percent higher from the current year’s approved budget which is P3.02 billion and it is anchored on the program of the current administration termed as “Rehabilitation and Transformation of the Province of Iloilo to Catalyze Recovery (RT-PCR).”
The big chunk of the P3,234,509,176 billion is allotted for the current operating expenditures (COE) at P2.007 billion (62.05%) while P1.227 billion (37.95%) is intended for the special purpose lump sum appropriations (SPLSA)
The COE budget covers the personal services and maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) of the Provincial Government. The SPLSA, on the other hand, covers the 20 percent development fund; five (5) percent provincial disaster risk reduction and management fund; aid to barangays; loan amortization; and local economic enterprise advances.
The development fund is being utilized to finance development projects, such as; road construction, water supply projects, environmental rehabilitation, pre and post-harvest facilities, solid waste management facilities, small irrigation, hospital upgrading, street lightings, day care centers and other related small infrastructure.
The 11 district hospitals and one (1) provincial hospital has been allotted P1.151 billion budget; P430.708 million (37.4%) will be subsidized from the general fund.
The annual appropriations has three major socio-economic features: continuous improvement of health care services; improvement of local economy; and care for psychosocial well-being of Ilonggos.
It budget pie is sliced into four major sectors: the economic sector has P499 million (15 percent); social sector will have P500 million (16 percent); general public sector – P1 billion (31 percent); and special purpose appropriations with P1.230 billion (38 percent).
The proposed annual budget also contained the second tranche of salary standardization.
The Executive Department has assured Ilonggos that there is enough budget for infrastructure projects and healthcare services.
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*Featured photo is lifted from: //www.reddit.com