Dagupan SP approves P628-M budget for 2014
DAGUPAN City’s P628 million budget for 2014 has been approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP), passing an ordinance for the proposed expenditures during its final regular session for the year last week.
Ordinance No. 2001-2013 authored by Councilor Jeslito Seen, SP chairman on finance, was approved unanimously by all eight councilors present led by Karlos Liberato Reyna IV, presiding officer pro tempore.
The approved budget is only slightly bigger than the P612 annual budget for 2013, during which the projected income up to the end of the year was not realized
The Local Finance Committee headed by City Administrator Farah Decano certified the proposed 2014 budget as reasonable and is confident that the projected income could be realized next year.
Seen said next year’s budget will be funded by local and external sources.
The local sources include P248.4 million from tax revenues and P48.8 million from non-tax revenues.
The external income will come from the city’s share in National Tax Collection, represented by the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) at P329.5 million, and share from Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs) at P1.2 million .
Of the P628 million executive budget, at least P223.4 million will be allocated for personal services; P253.9 million for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenditures (MOOE); P114.7 for capital outlay; and P34.8 million for financial expenses.
Incorporated in the approved budget were the approved Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing; Annual Investment Program; Personnel Schedule by department/office/unit, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plant , Local Development Investment Program and Gender and Development.
These documents, which the past city administration under former Mayor Benjamin Lim failed to submit in the last three years, are required by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
TRANSPARENCY
Seen noted that the SP, unlike in previous years, was able to finalize the budget before the yearend because the finance committee conducted budget sessions with department heads as early as August in accordance with the guidelines laid down by Mayor Belen Fernandez in line with the principle of transparency and public accountability.
“In the proposed budget, alam natin ang kwento, kaya alam natin ang kwenta,” Seen said.
To recall, department heads under the Lim administration were ordered by the mayor not to attend SP sessions and meetings without his consent.
Seen said that in preparing the 2014 budget, they used the financial assessment management tool (PFMAT), an assessment management program of the DBM.
One of the requirements of PFMT, he said, is the approval of the budget on time.
The councilors who attended the session aside from Seen and Reyna were Jose Netu Tamayo, Alipio Serafin Fernandez, Alvin Coquia, Jersus Canto, Marvin Fabia and newly assumed Liga ng mga Barangay president Marcelino Fernandez.
Absent were Vice Mayor Brian Lim, and Councilors Maybelyn Fernandez, Redford Erfe Mejia and Guillermo Vallejos.
Section 4 of the ordinance states in part: “The City Mayor is hereby granted the authority to realign and/or augment items in this budget and any of its succeeding supplemental budgets including in the local bodies’ plans and budgets”.
Moreover, Section 5 reads: “Priority in the Use of Personal Services Savings. Priority shall be given to the personnel benefits of local employees in the use of Personnel Services savings”.
MARKET INCOME
Meanwhile, Fernandez said the city government raised an additional P900,000 monthly in market collections from July to date, a more than 100 percent hike than previous collections under the Lim administration.
The mayor said this can be attributed to diligence in monitoring market collections and changes in the collection system.
Fernandez added that she is confident that at least another 10 percent increase in collection can be achieved next year.–with report from Eva Visperas
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