By Dominic B. dela Cruz
Staff reporter
Laoag City—City budget officer Carlina Cumigad said Laoag’s total budget for 2017 is P747,625,399.00.
She said this covers the city’s estimated annual general fund of ₱557,772,000.00 and from the economic enterprise of ₱189,493,000.00.
Ms. Cumigad made the announcement during the first regular staff meeting for 2017.
She added that there is an 18% increase compared to last year’s budget.
She highlighted the inclusion of the “SSL4 tranche 1” or the salary increase, mid-and end-year bonuses for city government employees. On top of this, the employees will also receive extra cash gifts of ₱5,000 each, and productivity enhancement incentive (PEI) of ₱5,000 each.
The budget also includes the allocation of public health workers (PHW) positions in compliance with Local Budget Circular No. 2009-92 and the creation of several positions at the city hospital, information technology and city general services office.
The city also allocated, under the BUB projects, the amounts of ₱2,220,000.00 and ₱13,744,000.00 for three about-to-retire employees’ this year.
Ms. Cumigad also announced an increase of 12 percent, or ₱44,821,294, in the city’s internal revenue allotment (IRA)with the of P416,848,199.00 for this year compared to that of last year.
Under this year’s annual budget, Laoag mayor Chevylle V. Farinas hopes that all projects that are included in the annual investment plan would be completed before the year ends, and that some of those are infrastructure projects like the continuation and interconnection of farm-to-market roads; continuation of the Saluadak program of the city government; proposed expansion of the city general hospital with additional dialysis center unit; completion of the city health office building and three rural health centers; distribution of solar street lights first at Barangay La Paz, among others.
The mayor is also hopeful that bridge along Brgy. Lataag under the “Tulay ng Pangulo” project of President Rodrigo R. Duterte and with the help of Rep. Rodolfo “Rudy” C. Fariñas (1st district, Ilocos Norte) will also be completed soon.
Batac’s annual budget
In Batac City, the city council there unanimously approved the proposed annual budget on December 27, 2016.
The approved annual budget totals ₱474,751,213.00.
The budget was approved in a special session requested by Batac mayor Albert D. Chua.
After its approval, Mr. Chua thanked the members of the council presided then by Batac councilor Winet Quidang in lieu of Batac vice mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta. He thanked them for convening even if they were already on their Christmas break.
“Daytoy budget ket awan sabali a panggep na no di ket para pagsayaatan iti siyudad tayo and the budget is open for scrutiny because all the department heads had attended the committee hearings and questions were all answered”, Mr. Chua said.
He added that he wanted the earlier approval of the budget for the city government to maintain its Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG). The approval of the annual budget on time is one of the requirements.
In the past, Batac failed to approve its annual budget before the end of the year.
Batac’s 2017 budget decreased by at least ₱33 million compared to the 2016 budget. The decrease was reported to be due to the failure to actually earn the estimated income for 2016.
For this reason, Mr. Chua advised the local finance committee to allocate budget only for the estimated income that can be collected.
During the same special session, Batac councilor Mary Coleen Columbia Cajigal said that an ordinance reverting the amount of ₱18,096,481.16 was also approved.
The amount came from the savings under the 20 percent Development Fund for the years 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015; and savings under the personal services and maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) to the unappropriated surplus and appropriating the same for terminal leave pay, completion of the multi-purpose building, construction of gymnasium/evacuation center, construction of comfort room at the public market, aid to tanods, aid to barangay health workers (BHW), aid to barangay nutrition scholars (BNS), and the city mayor’s office’s MOOE.
In addition, Batac councilor Avelard Crisostomo also announced the approval of two long over-due franchise ordinances during the said special session.
Mr. Crisostomo said about 50 tricycle franchises were approved. It was learned that their motorized tricycle operator’s permits (MTOPs) had not been released since August 2016.
Dingras’ budget
In Dingras, Ilocos Norte, mayor Erdio Valenzuela announced that their annual budget for 2017 in the amount of P170,985,000.43 was also approved before the year ended.
The mayor said that priorities in the budget allocation includes farm-to-market roads.
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