Department heads given 6 days to submit budget proposals

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Micheal Rama has started accepting proposals from the department heads on their projected expenses next year to be included in the annual budget.

As early as October this year, the city government must be able to decide on and pass the annual budget from which Rama set six days for all department heads to present their proposal.

As of yesterday, Rama has met with three departments but refused to tell the media what transpired in the budget conference.

He, however, hinted that they are seeing to it that the 2011 annual budget will cover almost all expenses for the whole year.

“So that gone are the days, when they will say we are not being attended to, that we do not have money,” he said.

Rama earlier announced that the city will be adopting a “lean and mean” approach in budgeting to avoid the trouble of passing supplemental appropriations.

“Lean and mean” means that all projected expenses will already be incorporated in the annual budget which could mean faster implementation of programs and projects since fund will be readily available.

This strategy also avoids shortage of funds that sometimes cause delay in the services which was experienced this year in the city’s hospitalization and medical assistance program.

Next year will be bigger than this year’s P3.196 billion annual budget, the biggest, so far approved in the history of the city government.

Among the projected expenses, not finalized yet however, are the expenses for basic services including the City’s Hospitalization Assistance and Medical Program (CHAMP), financial assistance to senior citizens and persons with disabilities, allowance of judges and scholarship for high school graduates.

The city plans to allot P200 million for the senior citizens, P100 million for the scholarship, P300 million for the CHAMP, P35 million for the Judges’ allowance and P10 million for the PWDs. (FREEMAN)