Talisay’s P582M budget for 2013 proposed

TALISAY City Mayor Socrates Fernandez has submitted to the City Council the City’s proposed annual budget for next year, which amounts to P582 million.

The City’s current annual budget is P470 million.

The proposed budget includes P479 million for the general fund, P66.5 million for the development fund, P12 million for the Talisay City College, P11.5 million for market operations, P12 million for slaughterhouse operations and P566,290.69 for waterworks operations.

Maintenance and operating expenses will take up the majority of the budget’s total expenditures (P232.7 million), followed by non-office expenditures (P98 million).

Salaries and wages of employees will get the biggest chunk of the maintenance and other operating expenses (P90 million).

Review

Non-office expenditures include peace and order (P10 million), security services (P6.2 million), traffic operations (P5 million), historical and cultural activities (P4 million), sports commission (P4 million), honorarium to committees and teachers (P4 million) and financial aid to the barangays (P8 million).

Councilor Rodi Cabigas, who chairs the committee on appropriation, budget management and ways and means, said the council will review the budget and ensure that the procedures for its approval will comply with the Local Government Code of 1991.

Once the proposed budget is approved on first reading, the committee on finance and budget management will immediately schedule budget hearings, he said.

For members of the City’s opposition bloc, they said they will scrutinize the budget as next year will be an “election season.”

Councilor Romeo Villarante said he and fellow opposition bloc councilors Val Ylanan and Danny Caballero will check the appropriations stated on the proposed budget,
considering that the budget might be used to fund the administration’s campaign.

“Ato gyud ning tanawon og pag ayo kay 2013 is an election year. They might use this to win votes,” Villarante said.

However, he admitted that he has yet to receive a copy of the proposed budget.