A BACOLOD councilor urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), through Secretary Benjamin Diokno, to reconsider the agency’s position and include the Negros Island Region (NIR) in the proposed 2018 national budget.
Bacolod City Councilor Renecito Novero, who authored the resolution for the purpose passed on Wednesday, August 2, said the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental have been receiving their budget allocation from Western Visayas and Central Visayas, respectively.
In 2015, former President Benigno Aquino III signed an executive order creating the NIR composed of Negros Oriental, which was formerly under Central Visayas, and Negros Occidental, formerly under Western Visayas.
“The inclusion of NIR in the 2018 proposed budget will largely help steer development in the Negros provinces,” he said.
Meanwhile, Novero, chairperson of committee on education, said the exclusion of the funds for free higher education in the 2018 proposed national budget could lose the aspiration of the students who are interested to study, but lack financial support.
He said next year’s budget excluded the special provision on the higher education support fund for state universities and colleges.
“If there is no budget to be approved, the free tertiary for 2018 will not be implemented unless they can provide a supplement budget. It’s the obligation of the national government to find a budget for that because it is one of their promises to the Filipino people,” Novero added.