SP all set to 'deeply' pore over P1.1B proposed 2009 Capitol budget
Official legislative jurisdiction starts tomorrow for members of the 9th Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP) on the over P1.1 billion proposed budget of the Iloilo Provincial Government. The amount is some P150 million more from the current year with Governor Niel Tupas Sr. now seeking legislative approval for a working budget on next year's operations.
The governor's request highlights tomorrow's regular session of the 9th SP body expected to be referred to the Committee on Appropriations. Committee chair here is the governor's nephew, Vice Governor Rolex Suplico whose politics and governance has since been at odds.
Total proposed budget is P1,180,153,862 with bulk of the planned expenditures and corresponding increase will reportedly go to Social Services. Capitol's social service-expenditures for 2009 is pegged at over P450 million or 38% of the total planned budget.
The News Today (TNT) in a check of the 505-paged 2009 Proposed Executive Budget learned of exclusion of some current expenditure alongside the inclusion of "reincarnated" items.
Foremost is in the Office of the Governor where subsidy to regional offices had been scrapped ending this year's subsidy budget of P600,000. Reincarnated though is P1 million in "Intelligence Funds" backed by P500,000 in "Rewards and other Claims" the governor now wants.
No change on the over P2 million for gas and lubricant expense for Tupas and his office as he maintains the need for his consultants with appropriation of P1.3 million still.
Among the considerable increases will be with the Iloilo Rehabilitation Center (IRC) where current budget of over P36 million will be increased to over P46.8 million in 2009.
Iloilo Sports Complex from over P10.6 million hopes to get SP nod on its planned P20.1 million 2009 budget. A big increase too for the Provincial Engineers' Office with a current budget of over P87.1 million to P102 million and the Provincial Health Office from P52.1 million to P59.4 million.
Provincial Treasurer's Office will also see an increase from P25.9 million to P39.3 million and the General Services Office from current P56 million to P60.8 million.
The Executive Budget, the governor told members of the 9th Iloilo Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP), "was prepared after a thorough deliberation… through an effective process of equitably allocating the limited resources of the Iloilo Provincial Government…"
"It is important to stress at this point that the preparation of this Budget has been made possible with the discussion/interaction of the various sectors, so as to make decisions more participative and democratic," Tupas wrote the SP body in his Budget Message. "...this budget proposal manifests our determination to lay a strong foundation for the greater and progressive province."
In realizing that "greater and progressive province," the governor laid down three goals and objectives namely food security, job creation and accessibility to basic social services.
Further still were eight "development strategies" set to be employed starting off with the planned rehabilitation on Typhoon Frank devastation. Focus here is in areas of infrastructure, agriculture and environment.
Thus far, the Public Information Section is the only department with a slashed budget where its current whole year P1,478,247 will become P1,425,883.