City gov’t pushes P8.1B budget for 2019

The Cebu City's executive department has proposed an P8.1 billion annual budget for 2019, which is about a billion higher compared to this year's P7.1 billion purse.

Of the P8.1 billion, over P2 billion is allocated for the financial assistance to several stakeholders like P455 million for senior citizens; P400 million for barangay projects, P158 million for scholarship program; P81.6 million for persons with disability; P80 million for the Sangguniang Kabataan Federation; P76. 8 million for barangay tanods, P65 million for peace and order personnel; P65 million teacher's assistance program.

“Same lang sa operation nato this year, mga recurring operations. Ang difference lang is garbage collection program kay instead nga mag-rent for the whole year, naay gi-propose nga acquisition of motor vehicles,” Budget Officer Marietta Gumia told reporters.

Gumia said the proposed annual budget was submitted to the City Council for deliberation last October 16.

In the executive summary, the new program included in the proposed budget is the acquisition of 40 buses for the free ride for college students from the mountain barangays.

Gumia said it is the mayor's special project which also covers P6.6 million salary for the bus drivers, P26.4 million for fuel and oil, P20 million for renovation of the Cebu City condominium, P10 million for the operation of the condominium, and P11.2 million for meal allowance for mountain barangay students.

In anticipation for the upcoming elections, the city's executive department proposed an increase in the financial assistance for Association of Barangay Council's from P1 million this year to P10 million; from 1 million to P3 million assistance to Barangay Councilors' League of the Philippines; and from P500,000 assistance to P1 million League of Lupong Tagapamayapa of Cebu City.

There are allocations for several programs and projects of the city such as the P213.8 million for Long Life Medical Assistance Program; P166 million for City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicine Program (CHAMP); P265.86 million for garbage collection and disposal; P232.5 million for heavy equipment of Department of Public Services.

For the mandatory expenditures, the city has allocated P2.1 billion for personal services, P346 million for the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, P448.9 million for debt servicing, among others.

From this year's P7.8 million discretionary funds of the mayor, the executive department proposed P8.5 million for next year with P10 million confidential expenses.

The sources of fund for the P8.1 billion budget next year are P1.9 billion internal revenue allotment, P2.5 billion from other local taxes, P1 billion from real property tax, P1.3 billion for nontax revenue, P1 billion share from joint venture, and P250 million share from eco-zone.