BAGUIO CITY – The local legislative body will resume the deliberations on the P2.175 billion proposed annual budget of the local government next year after the city’s local finance committee submits the adjustments on the income statement that may increase the city’s expenditures.
Earlier, local legislators requested the local chief executive to increase the income statement of the proposed annual budget by as much as P10 million but local finance officers claimed the projected income statement of next year’s budget is the maximum and if there will be adjustments, it could reach up to P4 million.
Under existing laws, rules and regulations, the local legislative body can decrease the proposed annual budget but the same cannot increase the same since the power to do so is lodged with the local chief executive upon the recommendations of the members of the local finance committee.
As of last Monday, the local legislative body did not yet receive the transmittal from the executive department on the adjusted income statement that should reflect the increase in the income statement and the proposed budget as a whole for the body to start their interrupted deliberations.
The local legislative body intends to devote the remaining session dates for the ongoing deliberations of the proposed annual budget of the local government until the same will be approved either by the end of the year or within the prescribed 90-day period next year.
Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines allows the local legislative body concerned to deliberate on the proposed annual budget of the local government within the first 90 days of the succeeding year once the same has not been approved during the previous year and that no other items will be deliberated by the body until such time that the proposed budget will be approved.
Another matter pending deliberation by the local legislative body is the Annual investment plan (AIP) that contains the priority list of projects where the appropriated funds will be utilized by next year.
Aside from personal services or the salaries and wages of government officials and employees, the annual appropriations of the local government is for maintenance and other operating expenses, capital outlay, local disaster risk reduction and management fund and development fund as well as other mandatory allocations of the local government.
Last October 16, 2018, Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan transmitted to the local legislative body the P2.175 billion proposed annual budget of the local government next year for deliberations and eventual approval of the income statement and the projects where the funds will be used.
If proposed budget is not approved before the end of the year, the local government will operate on a re-enacted budget temporarily while awaiting action from the local legislative body within the first 90 days of the year by which the proposal should be enacted. If the budget will be rejected during the prescribed period, the local government will be permanently using the old budget to sustain its operations.
By Dexter A. See
Banner photo by: Meryl Perez
