REDUCED BUDGET EXPECTED ANEW

MANY in the Dagupan City government are no longer optimistic about passage of the 2024 annual budget this month despite indications by the opposition that it will submit its final decision on the budget.

Given statements issued by some members of the majority, the opposition will likely not endorse the 2024 budget submitted by the Belen Fernandez administration but will instead present and adopt its own annual budget, different from the P1.38 billion proposed by the executive.

The expected submission of the opposition’s own version will be the second time to do it.

The first time was when it passed the P864.9 million budget, a budget that’s viable for a third class municipality. It was vetoed by Mayor Fernandez and declared inoperative in its entirety by the Department of Budget but left the city government with 2022 reenacted budget.

The passage was initially assured after opposition Councilor Celia Lim said she is in favor of the passage of the 2024 annual budget this month in order that some 700 regular employees’ Special Recognition Incentive of P20,000 each and the gratuity pay of 782 job order employees of P5,000 could be paid.

City Accountant Rosario Catugas certified that the P604 million savings in 2023 can be tapped for the SRI and gratuity pay of employees and for other programs and projects identified in supplemental budgets if the 2024 budget is approved.

However, Councilor Lim said she also wants the P200 million scholarship slashed which she found to be excessive, it constituting 18 percent of the total annual budget when other cities give only two to three percent of their budgets for scholarship.

If the budget is approved by the opposition, the SP can proceed with the approval of  the Special Recognition Incentive and Gratuity Pay of employees once a Supplemental Budget and a Supplemental Annual Investment Program is recommended by the Local Development Council.

These were gleaned from the last committee hearing of the Committee on Finance, Budget and Appropriations on March 5, a video proceeding of which was obtained by The PUNCH.

Councilor and Finance Committee Head Redford Erfe-Mejia had directed City Secretary Ryan Ravanzo to summarize all the reports submitted by department heads so that the committee can submit a ninth committee report and possibly a 10th committee report on the annual budget after the committee meeting.

All department heads already submitted their respective reports, including the requested master list of Job Order Employees numbering 782.

On Councilor Lim’s comment, City Budget Officer Jessa Rayopa, a member of the Local Finance Committee (LFC) ) said if the P200 million budget is slashed, the mayor will likely veto it that will result in the  reenacted budget for the vetoed line item which means the P200 scholarship budget will remain.

City Planning Officer Fernandez said Mayor Belen Fernandez assured that once the 2024 annual budget is passed, she will immediately convene the Local Development Council meeting to approve  the old Supplemental Budget No. 2 and its accompanying Supplemental AIP No. 2 seeking  the grant of SRI and Gratuity Pay of employees, plus the purchase of two dump trucks, other  equipment needed by the Waste Management Division, and projects. (Leonardo Micua)

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