BUDGET hearings of the board for the proposed P4.2-billion budget of the provincial government of Negros Occidental for year 2020 starts Wednesday, November 13.
Board Member Rommel Debulgado, chair of the committee on budget and finance of the Provincial Board, said the budget hearings will be five whole day sessions.
The hearings will kick off on November 13 until November 15 and on November 20 to November 21.
Today, 22 departments, offices and programs will present their budgets, on November 14 to 19, and November 15 to 16.
On November 20, it will be the turn of 16 departments, offices and programs while on the last day November 21, the budgets of the remaining 19 offices and programs will be deliberated.
Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said that they are looking to pass the proposed 2020 budget by the end of November.
Ferrer said that while he will not compel or require all board members to attend all hearing schedules, he encourages them to attend the schedules “where they have concerns on specific departments, offices or programs of the provincial government.”
“It is not considered a marathon hearing. We cannot just fast track the process or we miss something,” the vice governor said.
Ferrer said he does not see any major problems with the budget that will delay its passage.
“The budget is projected for two years. When it is submitted to the Office of the Governor, it is either increased or slashed depending on the priorities of the governor. It will have to go through a process,” he said.
Earlier, Jose Percival Salado, provincial budget officer, said the proposed budget is about ten percent higher than this year’s budget.
It will come from the 2020 Internal Revenue Allotment of the province amounting to P3.72 billion and the rest will be sourced from the Economic Enterprise Development Department and other local income, Salado said. (TDE)