Negros Occ PB okays P59M budget, allows P40M loan for school building

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines —The Negros Occidental Provincial Board has approved the P59 million supplemental budget, and granted Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. the authority to negotiate with the Philippine National Bank for a P40-million loan for a high school building.

PB Member Salvador Escalante Jr., finance committee chairman, said the P40-million loan will be used to construct a two-storey 24-classroom building for the Negros Occidental High School (NOHS).

The school building will be constructed along the Libertad side of the Paglaum Sports Complex, as donation to the NOHS based on the memorandum of agreement between the provincial government and the DepEd after the latter returned the ownership of the complex to the LGU.

The NOHS is currently using the Paglaum stadium for some of its classes, like Physical Education, since it lacks classrooms.

On the other hand, the P59-million supplemental budget will be utilized for the following: P7.7 million as 20-percent Provincial Development Fund for calamity, gender and development, grants and donations and peace and order fund; P7.8 million as additional funding for the construction of the Sipalay hospital, P13 million as separation pay and P6.2 million as terminal leave benefits for Capitol employees, and for other expenses. - THE FREEMAN