Marathon hearing on P4.4B budget starts

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said the Sanggunian Panlalawigan will start this week the marathon hearing on the P4.4-billion 2021 budget of the provincial government.

The proposed budget is already with the Committee on Budget and Finance for deliberation.

Ferrer said the heads of the different departments are expected to appear in the committee hearings conducted to explain their respective allocations next year.

Ferrer also assured there will be no delays in the hearings and that they will approve the proposed budget on schedule.

He said he knows fully well that the funds are intended to strengthen the efforts of the provincial government in its fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

A bigger part of the budget is intended to fund health services and programs to address the adverse effects of the pandemic.

Earlier, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the COVID-19 pandemic has cost the province P9.57 billion.
Under the 2021 budget, P1,641,424,244 is allocated to personal services, P1,374,658,871 for maintenance and other operating expenses, P12,000,000 for capital outlay and P1,443,611,950 for special purpose appropriations.