CCDC approves P13.2 billion in 2019 investment plans

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Development Council (CCDC) yesterday approved P13.2 billion for its Annual Investment Program (AIP) for 2019.

During the full council meeting, City Councilor Margarita Osmeña said the AIP will be the basis for the executive department to finalize the city’s annual budget for next year.

Osmeña, a member of the CCDC and council’s committee on budget and finance, described the AIP as more “realistic” compared to the “wish list” few years ago where it reached to over P20 billion, but some projects were not funded and materialized.

“There are certain appropriations that we must have like the payment for the loan, 20 percent of the Local Development Fund which is 20 percent of the IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment),” she told reporters.

Councilor Osmeña said the city will prioritize the payment for the reclamation of the South Road Property loan amounting to over P500 million, personal services or salaries for the City Hall employees, over billions of financial assistance for the senior citizens, persons with disabilities, tanods, uniformed officials, judiciaries, among others.

For next year, Osmeña said the city’s IRA reached P1.9 billion. She said that the city will allocate 20 percent of the IRA for the Local Development Fund.

For the Local Development fund (LDF), barangays of the city were asked to submit priority projects focused on environment, social, and economic developments for inclusion in the AIP of the succeeding year.

Under the LDF, several barangays proposed to construct multi-purpose building, health center, birthing center, water reservoir, road concreting, drainage system, among others.

Some of the proposed projects under the LDF include the P50 million construction of new multi-purpose halls in Barangay Labangon, P30.2 million road concreting in Barangay Taptap, P24 million evacuation center with market in Barangay San Jose, P22.1 million construction of span bridge in Barangay Bonbon, P20 million road widening in Barangay Talamban, P13 million construction of multi-purpose building in Barangay Bulacao, P10 million road opening for farm to market in Barangay Sudlon II, among others.

CCDC Secretariat and City Planning Officer Jose Guisadio said there were barangays that were not able to submit their priority projects.

In the proposed LDF, he said the qualified priority projects for the barangays reached P1 billion.

Guisadio said the AIP will be endorsed to the City Council for its approval and later on forwarded to Mayor Tomas Osmeña. — GAN (FREEMAN)