THE Mandaue City Council has passed its 2021 budget of P2.588 billion.
The amount is smaller compared to this year’s budget of P2.7 billion.
City Councilor Joel Seno, committee on budget and appropriations chairman, said there were no objections to the appropriations from council members during the budget hearing.
In July, all department heads gathered for a budget call to justify their appropriations, Seno said.
Prior to that, Mayor Jonas Cortes had informed department heads to trim their expenses as the City’s resources were limited due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, he said.
However, City Budget Officer Giovanni Tianero said expenses for basic services of all departments and offices have not been compromised.
However, he said the budget for cultural activities and trainings that require gatherings has been cut as most of these are now held online.
The City will also focus on improving its information technology capabilities to be more responsive to the “new normal,” Tianero said.
The Mandaue City has allocated a budget of P130 million for the Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) Fund, including expenses for the Covid-19 response, which is P100 million less than this year’s allocation.
Tianero said the DRRM Fund depends on the proposed budget, which is smaller next year.
A total of P2.13 billion has been allocated for the general fund, of which P201 million will go to the development fund.
The Mandaue City Hospital will get P43 million, which is higher than this year’s budget allocation of P41 million, while the Mandaue City Public Market will get P75 million.
The Mandaue City Sports Complex will get P2.1 million and the Mandaue City Slaughterhouse will get P6.9 million.
Tianero told SunStar Cebu that the mayor welcomes public-private partnerships, considering the City’s limited budget. (KFD)