Negros Occ. board okays P5.5-B budget

By Dolly Yasa

Bacolod City – The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan unanimously approved the 2024 budget of the provincial government in the amount of P5.5 billion.

Provincial board member Rommel Debulgado, SP committee on Budget and Finance chairman, told reporters on Wednesday that the 2024  budget was approved during their regular session Tuesday afternoon.

The budget is 5.56 percent higher compared to this year’s allocation.

Debulgado said the budget is distributed to two major allocations – the general fund (P5.244 billion) and the Economic Enterprise Development Department (P190 million).

The Special Purpose Appropriations (SPA) gets the biggest share of the 2024 capitol budget with an allotment of P2,073,003,000 or 39.53 percent of the general fund.

Personal Services gets P1,916,942,867 or 36.55 percent; Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses with P1,248,657,677 or 22.82 percent; and Capital Outlay with P6,000,000 or 0.11 percent.

A total of P981,000,000 is appropriated to the 20 percent Development Fund, the biggest in the SPA.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund is at P262,500,000.

The Office of the Governor has also proposed the creation, transfer and abolition of positions.

A total of P120 million has been allotted for Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit that includes possible salary increase, Performance-Based Bonus (PBB), Incentive Benefits for Exemplary Services (IBES) and Service Recognition Incentive (SRI).

Earlier, Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said the approval of the 2024 budget is eyed during the first week of December 2023.

On his part, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that the bulk of the proposed budget will go to infrastructure projects such as farm-to-market roads and school buildings.

In his budget message to the provincial board Lacson said “things are looking up for the agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors, and businesses are picking up. These are great indicators that our efforts and hard work are paying off”.

He added that “the destructive impact of COVID-19 on people’s livelihoods, health and food system has steadily decreased over the past years.”

The governor also said that the increase in the National Tax Allotment share of the province by 6 percent is also good news.

He further said that the 2024 proposed annual budget was crafted on the strategic objectives and core values defined in our Abase Negrense framework.

“It is our incessant aim to foster and sustain thriving communities and improve the quality of life of the Negrenses,” he stressed.