VICE Governor Jeffrey Ferrer said Monday, October 18, that the Negros Occidental Provincial Board (PB) will start the deliberation of the proposed 2022 Provincial Budget this week.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson earlier submitted the budget proposal amounting to P5.7 billion.
Ferrer said the PB is eyeing the passing of the proposed 2022 budget on the second week of November.
He said the proposed budget is already with the Committee on Budget and Finance after it was submitted by the Office of the Governor last week.
Ferrer said the committee, chaired by Board Member Rommel Debulgado, will be the one to set the schedule for the budget hearing with the different offices and departments of the Provincial Government.
Because of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, he said only major departments will be called to the hearings.
Ferrer said the proposed budget is 20 percent higher than the budget of 2021 at P4.4 billion.
The increase is due to the Mandanas Ruling of the Supreme Court.
The ruling said all collections of the Commission on Customs and other taxes will be included in the computation of the National Tax Allotment (NTA) otherwise known as the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
Lacson said "the additional sum in our NTA, the provincial government is required to provide programs, projects, and activities to be devolved from the national government."
A big chunk of the proposed P5,719,337,346 budget for 2022 will go to Special Purpose Appropriations (SPA) pegged at P2,142,140,592 or 37.45 percent.
For Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), a total of P1,812, 481, 024 or 31.69 percent is allotted.
The Personal Services (PS) is at P1,752,715,730 or 30.65 percent of the budget while the capital outlay is at P12,000,000 or 21 percent.
Under the PS, a total of P1,143,071,636 or 65.22 percent is allotted for the social services sector; P344, 765, 598 or 19. 67 percent for the general public services sector; and P264, 878,496 or 15.11 percent for the economic services sector.
A total of P183, 846,174.37 was appropriated for the operation of the Economic Enterprise Development Department.