The Baguio Regreening Movement (BRM) called on the city to appropriate more funds for health and environment lamenting it has been receiving minimal allocation for years.
BRM, Chairman Erdolfo Balajadia have again expressed concern for the city to increase the budget saying this should be given preference since the environment is the source of our existence.
“The city council should increase the budget of the environment committee because if you try to examine the budget of the city, it allocates a minimal amount for environment but that is where our water source comes from among others, so we are asking Councillor Yaranon to try and ask for an increase in the budget and we will be there to agitate and support you,” Balajadia said.
The committee on environment has had minimal budgetary appropriations despite the problems besetting the city.
Balajadia said “The beauty actually of me not being in the committee is there is an additional representation already, and we have someone who is with us which is the committee chairman. And the committee on appropriations is the Vice Mayor and I think we are looking forward to a better collaboration and a better appropriation this year.”
Aside from additional appropriations for the environment, allocations for health concerns in the city have also been sought citing the problem on dengue cases, measles outbreak, and even the non-allocation of HIV-AIDS related budgetary programs with the City having the highest number of cases in the region.
In the weekly Talakayan sa Environment Code Radio Forum Yaranon said “We are only looking at one side because this is a committee on health and environment and health must have a big big appropriations supposed to be aside from environment having more and I will support the move for more budgetary appropriations.”
Yaranon is set to study this year’s appropriations to ensure that more budget will be given to the health and environment committee which have not been supported in the past.