PB needs more time to check 2014 budget

CEBU, Philippines - Another round of Cebu Provincial Board (PB) committee hearing is set on Wednesday for district hospitals operation and the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist operations under the proposed 2014 budget.

The committee on budget and appropriations headed by PB Member Grecilda Sanchez is done hearing the proposed budgets of the rest of the Capitol's departments, offices, and programs last week.

She, however, said they need to scrutinize further proposals of the remaining two departments considering that improvement of health and agriculture services are the thrust of the administration of Gov. Hilario Davide III.

She wanted to know more why the agriculture department only spent P20 million in 2012 and P25 million out of the P48-million appropriation for 2013; yet Acting Provincial Agriculturist Roldan Saragena has proposed a bigger budget of P43.7 million for 2014.

Saragena reportedly failed to justify the bigger budget before the PB, prompting the committee to ask for detailed items to be discussed on Wednesday.

Among the expenditures Saragena proposed is P17.4 million for the Farmer Scientist Research Development and Extension Training Program; P1.4 million for the Provincial Nursery and Farmers Training Center; P1.4 million for the Provincial Aquaculture Development Center; P1.3 million for the GO Organic Program; and P900,000 or production and technology demonstration facilities.

PB members are also scrutinizing the P294.7-million proposed budget for the operation of the province's district hospitals.

The amount includes the hiring of 80 personnel next year to fill vacant plantilla positions in all 16 district hospitals to improve medical services in the province.

Sanchez said that even if the 2014 budget is smaller than this year's budget, it will not affect the delivery of the basic services such as on health.

“We are aiming at improving the district hospitals to decongest the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center,” Sanchez said.

She said that should there be a need for more funds for the district hospitals, they can just approve later on a supplemental budget since the PB is not allowed by law to increase the budget proposed by the executive department.

The PB can only slash and reduce appropriations proposed by the governor in the annual budget.

Davide earlier said the Province would no longer be hiring outsourced personnel next year; instead, it would open and make medical positions into regular positions.

All the 71 vacant positions for doctors and the nine vacant positions for support staff would be filled up.

Included in next year's proposed budget are the estimated P380-million projected salaries of the doctors and medical staff who would fill out the regular positions.—/RHM (FREEMAN)