PB assistance fund up by P1M despite drop in annual budget

CEBU, Philippines - Despite a lower budget for the Cebu provincial government next year, each member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan would get a bigger amount for their Legislative Assistance Fund (LAF).

Vice Governor Agnes Magpale disclosed yesterday that Provincial Board members would have an increased LAF from the P4 million allocation they have this year to P5 million for next year. 

Last year, then governor and now third district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia proposed for a P5 million budget for each PB member but was decreased to P4 million upon approval of the budget.

While the PB members would have an increased budget for their LAF, the office of the vice governor would be slashed with P2 million from P23 million this year to P21 million next year.

The 2014 proposed annual budget amounting to P2.6 billion submitted by Governor Hilario Davide is now pending before the PB committee on budget and appropriations.

Of the said amount, Magpale said that P8 million of her LAF and P2.5 million of each PB is under the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) while the rest of the amount is under the budget proper for the so-called “soft” projects.

This is where the requests for financial assistance and subsidy for local government units for various projects and activities are charged by the officials.

Magpale said that the utilization of the assistance funds under the AIP should be in accordance with the joint memorandum circular of the Department of Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Budget and Management.

The memorandum provides specific projects to which the AIP is spent such as in social, economic, and environment management projects.

The projects include hospital equipment; medical, dental and laboratory equipment; purchase of ambulances and emergency vehicles; and construction, repair, rehabilitation, upgrading of buildings and structures.

Other projects include water supply development, environment protection, and preservation of heritage structures, construction of women and children’s crisis center, eco-tourism development, maintenance of bus terminal, convention center, and cultural center; electrification, and food production, livelihood and entrepreneurship support program.

The Provincial Development Council approved the P407 million worth of development projects and activities under the AIP of the Province of Cebu for 2014.

The road, bridge, highway construction and rehabilitation program got the biggest chunk of the AIP amounting to P113 million followed by the assistance and subsidy of the LGUs, institutions, and capital expenditure projects and activities in the amount of P110.5 million.

Davide also has his own fund for the assistance and subsidy to LGUs amounting to P65 million. — (FREEMAN)