HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL WELFARE GET LION’S SHARE OF P18-B ’20 BUDGET OF MAKATI CITY

Makati Mayor abby binay on thursday signed the city’s 2020 budget where health, education and social welfare received the biggest allocations.

the mayor, a news statement issued on thursday said, signed the budget hours after the Sangguniang panlungsod (City Council) approved the measure on third and final reading. the mayor had certified the budget’s approval as urgent.

Mayor abby said the 2020 budget reflects the priority thrusts and policies of her administration. the programs and services under the Social development Sector got the biggest allocation of about p8.07 billion, or 44.7 percent of the total budget of p18,047,460,000.

based on the approved 2020 budget of the city, health got the biggest share of the total budget among the social subsectors, with p5.26 billion (29.17 percent), followed by education with p1.43 billion (7.93 percent), and social welfare with p1.37 billion (7.59 percent).

“our overarching goal is to provide citizens with fast and free access to quality health care, education, and social services which are indispensable to their overall development,” she said.

the mayor said the city government has adhered to its “people first” principle amid efforts to accelerate the city’s digital transformation through embracing modern technology. She cited public-private partnerships (ppp) as an effective strategy to make progress with the city’s vision without compromising the city’s financial capacity to sustain priority programs.

“We have purposely teamed up with industry leaders in the private sector to implement digital initiatives without incurring added costs on the city coffers. the ppp strategy has allowed us to continue making substantial investments in social programs and services that enable Makatizens to reach their full potential and become not only self-reliant members of society, but empowered partners in nation-building,” Mayor abby said.

the mayor thanked the City Council, led by Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo, for approving the 2020 executive budget through City ordinance 2019-a-110. “the prompt approval of the budget has ensured that our beloved Makatizens will continue to receive timely and adequate services from the city in 2020. We are also optimistic about meeting our timelines for the implementation of new and continuing programs and projects,” Mayor abby said.