Budgets of four Capitol offices cut

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

THE P3.712-billion executive budget of the province of Iloilo is most likely to be approved after the May 13, 2019 elections, according to the committee on appropriations of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

In an interview, Board Member Dorothy Paes, chairman of the committee on appropriations, said they cannot pass the budget before the election due to some changes.

“The appropriations committee edited the proposed budget. Gin-consider namon ang mga budget sang iban nga departments,” she said.

According to Paes, specific revisions were made particularly on the Capital Outlay of the Office of the Governor, Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Hospital Management Office (HMO), and Public Information and Community Affairs Office (PICAO).

Under the Office of the Governor, the appropriations committee slashed P10.5 million, including the P1 million from Peace and Order.

The budget for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan was also slashed by P1.8 million for office equipment, furniture and fixtures, and other machinery and equipment.

The budget for PICAO was cut by P840,000.

Two radio block time programs that were charged to the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of PICAO and the Office of the Governor were also removed from the budget.

In her committee report, Paes said the committee deems it necessary that only one radio program should be funded by the province for disseminating the programs, activities, and projects of the Iloilo Provincial Government.

“Therefore, the two block time radio programs charged to PICAO shall be deleted and removed from the budget,” she reported.

P54 million was also slashed from the budget of HMO.

The committee pointed out that the function of the HMO is to give technical support, supervise, and monitor the activities of district hospitals.

“The district hospitals in the province should be the ones to procure the said medicines since they are in the best position to determine what drugs and medicines they need for their operation. There also might be a duplication of the procurement of drugs and medicines,” Paes said in her committee report.