MBTF calls for special session for budget OK
2016 BUDGET STILL PENDING
DAGUPAN City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez has called for a special session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) on Monday, December 21 to act and approve the submitted P768 million annual budget of the city for 2016.
Noting that the SP is already on recess because of the Christmas holiday, Ms. Fernandez said it has become necessary to call for a special session of the legislative body to approve the next year’s budget.
She shudders at the thought that Dagupan would be using a reenacted budget in January if the 2016 annual budget is not approved within the year.
The mayor enumerated several negative consequences to the city if the annual budget is not approved on time.
In a reenacted budget, she said, emergency workers whose services are most essential to the city will not receive their wages.
The city might not also be able to implement the Salary Standardization of its regular employees immediately if the President already signed it into law.
More worrisome, she said, is the fact that the city might not be able to comply with the requirements of good financial housekeeping and may no longer be qualified as a recipient of Seal of Good Governance (SGG).
As recipient of SGG this year, Dagupan received a Performance Challenge Fund of P5 million which will be used for the construction of a Tourism Building.
Ms. Fernandez said the implementation the Gender and Development Plan, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan, Annual Investment Plan and the 20 per cent development plan were already submitted to the SP along with the proposed annual budget. (Leonardo Micua)
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