THE proposed P4.75 billion annual budget for Bacolod City in 2026 was unanimously approved on second, third and final reading during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) on Thursday afternoon, December 4, 2025.
Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, chairperson of the City Council’s Committee on Appropriation and Finance, said the proposed budget for 2026 is higher than this year’s budget of P4.4 billion, reflecting an increase of P300 million.
He said this increase is largely due to a stronger focus on the city’s revenue generation.
He added that significant portions of the 2026 budget have been allocated to key offices such as City Mayor's Office, social services, health programs, Bacolod Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP), and the Bayad Agad program.
Sayson noted that a series of hearings were conducted with various department heads, who defended their proposed budgets for 2026.
Mayor Greg Gasataya, who requested for the approval of P4.75 billion budget, said that part of its priority projects are the increase for the city scholars, the implementation of the BacCHP, and the mandatory expenses of the city.
Gasataya said the increase is very minimal because they only based it on the National Tax Allotment (NTA, formerly Internal Revenue Allotment) share of the city from the National Government.
“There is an annual increase (NTA) and as to the local sources, it's still the same since we did not increase our taxes,” he said.
He added that this year’s NTA share of Bacolod reached P2,244,573,982. (MAP)