Barangays to get bigger IRA next year

Barangays will get a bigger Internal Revenue Allotment next year, the Department of Budget and Management said.

The department recently announced that the 42,000 barangays in the country will get P35 billion from the P183.9-billion IRA, which is 40 percent of internal revenues collected three years before and shared by provinces, municipalities and barangays nationwide.

Nationwide, Cebu's barangays get second highest IRA share with P1.313 billion after Metro Manila with P3.145 billion. Pangasinan will get P1.143 billion in IRA; Iloilo, P1.222 billion; and Leyte, P1.037 billion. Metro Manila's 1,693 barangays, would share the P3.145-billion IRA, which is up from this year's allocation of P2.818 billion.

In a press statement, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya said they also launched a 150-page Budget Operations Manual for Barangays and a nationwide training program for local executives on the effective use of their funds.

The launch kicked off here in Cebu last week with DBM officials from the Visayas and Mindanao regions in attendance.

DBM said the manual shows the proper barangay budgeting process such as identifying sources of revenues, determining actual and estimating expenditure level as well as budget preparation, authorization, review, execution and accountability.

Andaya explained that BOMB could improve local responsiveness and political participation by increasing the accessibility, local responsibility and effectiveness of local governments in delivering basic services. During the training of local executives, Andaya urged the participants to simplify and translate the manual texts into their respective dialects to expand and make it more understandable.

During the Liga ng mga Barangay 8th national convention in Cebu last month, President Gloria Arroyo announced that barangays nationwide will get bigger IRA share because she already revoked Executive Order 190, which allows DBM to slash part of the local officials' IRA to pay for their GSIS and SSS premiums and EO 250, which orders LGUs to allocate five percent of their IRA for the Kontra Droga program.

"Ngayon, buong-buo na ninyong matatanggap ang inyong IRA. Binabayaran ko kayo sa mga utang ng nakaraang administrasyon," Arroyo said. - Wenna A. Berondo/BRP