THE Negros Occidental Provincial Board unanimously approved during its regular session on Wednesday, April 13, the province’s first supplemental budget for 2016 amounting to almost P192.3 million.
The appropriation request was first endorsed to the Provincial Board on April 6, but could not be tackled due to a lack of quorum.
The supplemental budget, which will be sourced from the province’s retained earnings as of December 31, 2015, is composed of P7 million for personnel services, P155.9 million for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and capital outlay amounting to almost P14.3 million.
The fund for personnel services only covers funds for the terminal leave benefits of Provincial Government employees.
The bulk of the request under MOOE comes from grants and donations worth P20 million; subsidy to local government units (LGUs), P35 million; medical, dental, and laboratory supplies, P12 million; barangay insurance program, P9.5 million; and hosting of Panaad sa Negros Festival, P8.5 million.
The capital outlay is mainly composed of loan assistance to the Alliance of Hog Raisers Associations worth P2 million and various maintenance and renovation projects of the Panaad Park and Stadium amounting to almost P4.2 million.
Second district Board Member Salvador Escalante Jr., chairperson of the provincial board's Committee on Finance, Budget, and Appropriation, said the committee had to urgently act on the supplemental budget request since some of the items are needed for the upcoming Panaad sa Negros Festival set April 15 to 22.
Escalante said these items were included in the request for election banning exemptions made by Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. to Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria.
“Aside from (appropriations for) Panaad, the province can now process other items including the budget for the national hog convention hosting, ongoing health projects, salaries and wages, and barangay insurance program,” he said.
Grants and donations to LGUs are not exempted from the ban and can only be processed after the election period, Escalante added.