PB OKs P3.6B 2016 budget

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Board approved yesterday the P3.6 billion budget of the Capitol for 2016. Next year’s budget is higher by more than 20 percent compared to this year’s P3 billion allocation.

Governor Hilario Davide III attributed the increase to the almost half billion peso budget surplus in 2014 and 2015 as well as the increase in the Capitol’s share in the Internal Revenue Allotment. Davide said the Capitol will have a P2.5 billion IRA share next year, which is higher than this year’s P2.3 billion.

The Office of the Governor got the lion’s share of the 2016 budget with P623 million or 35.44 percent higher than this year’s P460 million. Davide said the fund will be used for priority projects of his administration.

Included in his priorities are the health and social services, countryside development, education, technical and vocational training, environmental protection, climate change and disaster risk reduction, infrastructure development and private sector cooperation, and law and order.

“Providing assistance to our component cities and municipalities or institutions, as well as barangays, for their development projects and activities remains a priority, thus, an increase in budget,” Davide said in his budget message.

Amid the controversies hounding the Capitol-run district hospitals, Davide said his administration is allocating enough funds for trainings.

 “The budget for training expenses remains high, as one of the thrust of this administration to equip or prepare our personnel and the general public for service excellence (e.g. hospital personnel), entrepreneurship, law enforcement, climate change and disaster preparedness capability,” he added.

Among the items under the governor’s office that have increased budget are cash assistance for volunteer frontline workers, P24.6 million from P21.5 million; Provincial Tourism Council and “other culture or arts program”, P4.4 million from P2.2 million; and development assistance for local government units, P50 million from P38.5 million.

A total of P520 million was earmarked for the Annual Investment Plan or an increase of P55.6 million from P462 million this year. The AIP reflects the priority development projects and programs of the administration as mandated under Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.

More than half of the AIP budget next year was earmarked for infrastructure projects such as P256 million for the repair, rehabilitation, and construction of roads, bridges and other structures.

The Provincial Health Office also got the biggest chunk of the annual budget at P433 million. It is also higher than this year’s P409 million.

Davide identified the health sector as top priority under his administration. He earlier explained that the allocation would fund the acquisition of medical equipment and improvement of province-owned hospitals, as well as hiring of more medical consultants. (FREEMAN)