LC council OKs P591-M 2014 budget

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff Reporter

Members of the Laoag City Sangguniang Panlungsod unanimously approved City Ordinance No. 2013-061, the budget ordinance for 2014, on November 25, 2013.

The total approved budget was P591,103,700.38; broken down as follows: P423,766,494.19 for the general fund and P167,337,206.19 for economic enterprise.

During the deliberation, no major discussions occurred as department heads were no longer invited to attend the session as there was already a series of meetings during the budget hearing held in Sta. Ana, Cagayan last September.

At that time, the local finance committee ironed out all the kinks in the budget proposal.

City budget officer Carlina Cumigad said all department offices’ budget proposals were scrutinized item by item.

Cumigad added said that there was a three percent increase in the budget for next year, or it is more than P15,693,305 compared to this year’s budget of P575,410,394.68.

The increase in the budget, Cumigad explained was due to the increase in the number of PhilHealth capitation indigent program given to the city indigents as well as an increase in some offices’ miscellaneous and other operating expenses (MOOEs).

Also, compared to last year, the 2014 budget was approved a little later as the executive branch failed to meet the submission of budget deadline prescribed by the Department of Interior and Local Government, which this year fell on October 16.

The Ilocos Times learned that the delay was due to the local finance committee’s scrutiny of all the submitted budget proposals of the department offices, especially the proposed increases.

Cumigad said that offices that has the biggest allocated budget for next year would be the Laoag City General Hospital (LCGH) with the amount of P122,882,520.15; City Engineering Office with P53,069,777.21; Office of the City Mayor with P45,976,070.47; and the City General Services Office with P38,931,870.77.

According to Cumigad, the office of the city mayor’s budget for next year increased due to the capital outlays of the different office have been sheltered here to include the proposed creation of a community affairs department.

She explained further that the tentative Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share for Laoag next year to be given by the Department of Budget as per local budget memorandum circular no. 67 was P299,789,584.00 compared to this year’s total amount of P265,197,021.00, which signifies an increase of P34,592,560 or 13%.

The budget officer hopes that there would be no municipality would be converted into a city next year otherwise the city’s IRA share would again be negatively affected.