Bacolod, NegOcc budgets for 2023 approved

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod approved the P3.25 billion Annual Budget of the city government for 2023 on the third and final reading during its regular session Wednesday.

On the other hand, the Sanggunian Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental on Tuesday afternoon approved the P5.14-billion for next year, up from P5.908 billion in 2022, even as the province continues to recover from the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

For Bacolod City, the bulk of next year’s general funds is from the National Tax Allocation (NTA) amounting to P1.85 billion and P1.39 billion from local sources.

The city’s P3.25 billion budget for 2023 is the same as this year’s budget.

This is the third time that the city hit the P3-billion mark in terms of budget, from P3 billion in 2020 and P3.25 billion in 2022.

The distribution of the city’s budget is as follows: general public services amounting to P1,269,856,198, comprising 39 percent of the total budget; social services – P1,051,091,867 (32 percent); other services – P673,455,385 (21 percent) and economic services – P255,596,550 (8 percent).

Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chairman of the SP Committee on Finance, said the administration’s priorities include the health sector through the Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP), City Engineer’s Office for repairs, senior citizens, and the 20 percent development fund, among others.

Meanwhile, the Negros Occidental provincial government’s annual budget in 2023 was reduced by 12.87 percent, or about P780 million, compared to this year’s total budget due to the cut in the local government units’ NTA shares.

The amount includes the general fund budget of P4.952 billion composed of sources of financing and expenditure program and the annual operating budget of P190.379 billion for the Economic Enterprise Development Department.

The reduction in the 2023 NTA can be attributed to reduced tax collection at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson acknowledged that his administration is faced with the responsibility to lead its people and the province toward recovery while remaining in the course of the pandemic.

Lacson, earlier said the lower budget would mean adjustments in the financial assistance being granted by the province to the various sectors and that the province has to earn more local revenues through its various economic enterprises like the Food Terminal Market of Negros Occidental.