P4.2-B annual budget eyed in 2025

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD CITY – The city government here is set to breach the P4-billion mark for the proposed annual budget in 2025.

In a media interview on Tuesday, Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, announced that the proposed annual budget for next year is estimated at P4.2 billion.

This is P600 million higher than the 2024 annual budget of P3.6 billion.

Benitez said that when he assumed the leadership here in 2022, the annual budget was at P3.2 billion. “That’s an additional billion increase after three years,” he added.

The city, according to Benitez, is expecting to get more than P2.2 billion national tax allotment (NTA) share in 2025. This is much higher than the P1.9 billion NTA share in 2024.

Benitez said that the city is also expecting to achieve P1.7 billion in local revenues this year, due to increased collection efficiency.

With the P4.2 billion proposed annual budget in 2025, he said the city will continue to prioritize health services.