LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal council of this capital town recently approved the proposed P643.55 million annual budget of the municipality for 2023 to sustain the enhanced delivery of basic services and implement the programmed priority development projects.
Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan said that the town’s annual budget is composed of the P571.25 million that will be used for personal services, maintenance and other operating expenses, capital outlay, local disaster risk reduction and management fund among others while some P72.3 million will be allocated for the local government’s economic enterprise specifically to sustain the operation of the Strawberry hotel and the La Trinidad vegetable trading post.
Under the annual budget of the local government, Mayor Romeo K. Salda disclosed that the sources of funds to operationalize the budget include the beginning balance P66 million, local taxes – P129.9 million, services, business and other income – P14.7 million and national tax allocation – P360.57 million.
On the other hand, the sources of revenue for the local government’s economic enterprises include the La Trinidad vegetable trading post amounting to P56.88 million and the Strawberry Valley Hotel and Restaurant – P15.42 million.
Among the expenditures of the annual budget include economic services – P63.5 million; general public services – P303.13 million; social services – P102.57 million; 20 percent local development fund – P73 million and 5 percent local risk reduction and management fund – P29 million.
The appropriation ordinance defined lump sum appropriation shall refer to all positions created which are neither specified nor encompass within the regular personal services, and maintenance and operating expenses.
Further, it added that the proposed annual budget complies with the budgetary requirements and general limitations provided under the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 7160 otherwise known as the Local government Code of the Philippines as amended.
Any change in the approved annual budget shall be made pursuant to the pertinent provisions of RA 7160 as amended where specific Sanggunian approval shall be required for the authorization of the disbursement of such lump sum appropriations as defined in the approved appropriation ordinance.
Moreover, priority shall be given to personnel benefits of local employees in the use of personal services savings.
Mayor Salda explained that the annual budget of the local government could have been bigger in 2023 but the reduction of more than P61 Million from its national tax allocation caused the significant reduction of the same where the local government had to make the necessary adjustments for the benefit of tailor fitting the available funds for the available expenditures.
