Batac council tackles 2014 budget

Better late than never

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff Reporter

Batac City Vice Mayor and Sangguniang Panlungsod presiding officer Ronald Allan M. Nalupta said that the annual budget for the city government will be approved soon as budget hearing have begun early this month.

The proposed annual budget should have been submitted by the third quarter of last year as per the Local Government Code requirement but records from the council showed that the proposed budget was only submitted on January 27, 2014.

Upon receipt of the proposed budget, the council immediately put it in the calendar and the committee on finance chairperson made a motion for the council to convene as a committee of the whole to tackle the budget proposal.

Due to the lateness of the submission, Nalupta said his office along with those of the councilors and department heads are trying to fast-track budget hearings for its immediate approval.

Nalupta also disclosed that the income and department budgets have been processed and they are currently processing the non-office budget.

The vice mayor is hopeful the proposed budget would be finalized soon provided all program of works of all the differed projects would be submitted by the City Planning and Development, and City Engineering Offices and the city’s building officials.

He also advised all department heads to defend their respective budgets and to bring out other concerns in the budget hearings.

As the 2014 budget has not been approved, the city government is currently using a re-enacted budget of last year.

This year’s proposed budget totals P349,609,396.69—an increase of at least P32 million compared to last year’s budget of P315,116,256.00.

Batac expects an increase of an estimated P32 million for the Internal Revenue Allotment share from P241,698,456 last year to P273,384,814.00 this year.