Bacolod SP eyes approval of P3-B budget next month

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Councilor Cindy Rojas, chairperson of the city council committee on appropriation and finance, on Tuesday said the P3-billion proposed budget for 2020 will likely be approved in November.

Rojas said told Daily Guardian here that her committee is still conducting budget hearings this week

“Maybe mga 3rd or 4th week of November na for 2nd reading and deliberation,” Rojas said

After the budget hearings, Rojas will submit her report to the Sanggunian Panlungsod.

The 2019 budget of Bacolod City is P2.52 billion, 12 percent higher, or P270 million more, than the budget in 2018.

Earlier Mayor Evelio Leonardia submitted to the City Council the P3-billion budget for 2020.

“This budget proposal manifests our main purpose, which is to lay a resilient foundation for an even greater and more progressive city.”

Leonardia also called the 2020 proposed budget a “breakthrough” as Bacolod has finally breached the PHP3-billion mark, and for the first time, more than half of the budget or 52 percent is sourced from local funds.

In the proposed budget for 2020, only 48 percent will be sourced from the city’s IRA share, he said.

The 2020 budget is higher by 19 percent compared to last year’s PHP2.52 billion.

“Continuous partnership with the City Council, the various city government offices, and the constituents has allowed our budget to reach new heights,” Leonardia said.

He also said that for 2020, his administration’s major thrusts include better traffic management, more aggressive tourism promotions, infrastructure development, and improved administrative efficiency.