THE Provincial Government of Negros Occidental is planning to acquire 18 to 20 hectares of property along the Access Road in Talisay City amounting to P200 million.
The budget for the acquisition is included in Supplemental Budget No. 4 amounting to P339,418 million proposed by Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr.
Second District Board Member Salvador Escalante, chairman of the committee on finance, budget, and appropriation, said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan may approve the proposed budget during their regular session tomorrow.
Escalante said the province is proposing to buy the property for its land banking program.
“I believe that the governor has good intentions of purchasing the land for his plans to develop an employees’ village for those who do not have houses yet especially employees who are from out-of-town,” he added.
The governor believes that since the province has sold properties behind the Capitol building, the province should acquire land for the future generation, Escalante said.
Sources of the proposed supplemental budget are the reversion of accounts payable, proceeds from sale of lot, retained earnings from December 31,2014, and Bids and Awards Committee receipts from sale of bidding documents.
Other allocations under Supplemental Budget No. 4 are more on operational expenses, including the hosting of the National Organic Agriculture Congress and Organic Festival, P670,000 and counterpart of Kalsada Program, P20 million.*