MBTF sees early passage of P1.83B 2026 budget
DAGUPAN City Mayor Belen Fernandez will propose a P1.83 billion budget for 2026, and P2.6 billion for the Annual Investment Program (AIP), both of which were endorsed by the Local Development Council (LDC) during a meeting convened on September 30.
In a news conference after the meeting at the CSI Stadia, Fernandez said the 2026 budget is just P230 million higher than this year’s P1.628 billion.
The planned 2026 annual fund is divided into four sectors: General Public Services, P493.3 million; Social Services, P880.3 million (with P339.2 million); Economic Services, P232.1 million; and Other Services, P231.1 million.
There will be 30 projects to be covered by the 20% development fund of P212 million.
The mayor aims to submit the proposed annual budget and AIP to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) on or before October 15.
With the majority of the councilors allied with her administration, Fernandez expects a smooth and quick passage of the 2025 budget, unlike in the past three years, where opposition councilors who controlled the SP deliberately stalled the approval of the city’s annual appropriations.
She is confident that the 2026 annual budget and its twin AIP will be passed by the Sanggunian before the end of this year or even earlier, considering that all members of the SP, except one, are her political allies and actually ran with her and won in the May 12, 2025 elections.
The current council has 11 of the 12 members allied with Fernandez, along with Vice Mayor and SP presiding officer Bryan Kua.
The LDC meeting presided over by Fernandez was joined by Councilor Jeslito Seen, chair of the SP committee on finance, budget and appropriations; City Legal Officer Aurora Valle; Councilor Marcelino Fernandez, Liga ng mga Barangay president; Atty. Liberato Reyna Jr., chairman of the Dagupan People’s Council, and Luz de Guzman, the mayor’s chief of staff.
Also in attendance were other city councilors, department heads, barangay captains, members of different people’s councils and civic organizations, all members of the LDC, and members of the media. (Leonardo Micua)
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