2020 PROVINCIAL BUDGET

LINGAYEN–The financial team of the provincial government has certified that the P4,456,414,220 annual budget of Pangasinan for 2020, approved by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) through Appropriation Ordinance No. 4 on November 18, is realizable.

This was confirmed jointly by Provincial Budget Officer Hilaria Claveria, Provincial Accountant Arturo Soriano and Assistant Provincial Treasurer Romeo Oca during the “Talakayan sa Kapitolyo” at Urduja House on November 19.

Claveria said next year’s annual budget is P321,639,665 higher than the 2019 annual budget of the province, P434,774,555. 

Of this, P3,494,314,550 will come from next year’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of the province and another P21,000,480 will come from local funds.  

According to Claveria, IRA of the province is projected to increase by P321,639,665 next year.

Oca said that based on the best practices on tax collection being implemented by his office, the targeted income in the 2020 annual budget of the province is achievable.

Saying that Pangasinan is still IRA-dependent, Oca reiterated that the provincial treasury headed by Provincial Treasurer Marilou Otanes will exert its best efforts in revenue collection in order to realize the target even if there is no tax increase on sight. 

However, both conceded tax increase might be forthcoming as the last update of Real Property Tax (RPT) assessment in Pangasinan was in 2012. Based on the Local Government Code, the updating of RPT assessment should be done every five years.  

Soriano said good financial management was a factor when Pangasinan bagged its fifth Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG): the province has no disallowance from the Commission on Audit, no arrears and no unpaid obligation whatsoever.

Of the P4.4 million annual budget, 33.9 percent went to general services, 44.5 percent to social services and 21.6 percent to economic services, Claveria said.

Claveria added that the health sector, which is a part of social services, gets the biggest slice of the pie at more than 30 percent as health is Espino’s top priority. It included the 14 hospitals that were devolved to the province early on that need to be funded. (Leonardo Micua)      

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments