THE city government is eyeing P948 million annual budget in 2018 and hopes to increase it to P1 billion in 2019

Mayor Belen T. Fernandez told the KBP Forum on Thursday at CSI Stadia, that the objective is to raise the classification of Dagupan from First Class B to First Class A city and expressed confidence that these can be achieved given the much improved financial condition owing to sound fiscal management and zero graft and corruption

She added that with all the building blocks she put in place for the last four years, ” I think the city is almost there.”

She cited the continued increase in the income of Dagupan as more businesses are thriving and more investors are coming in.

She said another big investor, in addition to SM and Golden Dragon, is preparing to come to the city but declined to name the company.

The proposed P948 million annual budget next year is a far cry from the P600 million budget in her first year in office after inheriting an almost bankrupt city administration with negative balance in 2013.

Dagupan City has the highest annual budget among all 10 cities of Region 1 to date.

Fernandez said she expects the 2017 budget proposal shortly to be finalized after consolidating the budget proposals submitted by the departments and divisions.

Citing the increase in revenues from all sources, she pointed out that the most significant one was the increase in building permit fees.

She said people in the past just constructed buildings without securing building permits but they can not do that today because technology today allows city government to detect where new constructions are going on.

She called on the public to secure building permits first before starting their projects to avoid paying penalties. (Leonardo Micua)

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