PRESENT BUDGET AT P894.83 MILLION: Cortes adds P58 million to 2011 budget

CEBU, Philippines - Mandaue City aims to operate on a budget of P953.2 million next year, an amount higher by P58.3 million compared to its 2010 budget of P894.83 million.

In his budget message, Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes said the budget proposal for 2011 is derived from the city's general fund, which has a total estimated revenue of P733 million.

Parts of the budget will also be derived from revenues coming from the Mandaue City Hospital amounting to P35.5 million, city public market amounting to P80.5 million, city sports complex amounting to P4.3 million and the city slaughterhouse amounting to P13.4 million.

"A major segment in the proposed budget is devoted to the pursuit of goals and objectives of assuring delivery of basic services and facilities. Solid waste management, environmental protection program, socio-economic programs support for education and health care programs are allotted, thus, foregoing are the various thrust of this administration," Cortes said.

The Department of General Services, which will implement the solid waste management program and the environmental protection program, will get P64 million. Meanwhile, the Office of the Mayor will get P44.3 million and the City Council P43.7 million.

The 2011 budget has full provisions for all mandatory and contractual obligations to the extent that the total proposed appropriation for debt servicing comes from the General Fund, which allocated P52,854,609.54; city market with P56,000,000; and from the slaughterhouse with P5,763,000 with a total amount of P114,617,609.54.

The total amount, Cortes said, will not exceed 20 percent of the city's regular income.

Cortes said the full provisions of the statutory and contractual obligations like the 20 percent development fund, employee benefits, assistance to component barangays, loan amortizations, maintenance of city roads and bridges, and the anti-drugs campaign are allotted with a fair share of the budget.

He said the proposed appropriation for assistance to the city's 27 barangays has been set at P27 million, which conforms to the budgetary code that requires at least P1million for every barangay.

A budget of P36,650,000 is also being allocated for the city's calamity fund, which is taken from the five percent income from the regular sources. The calamity fund will be used to shoulder unforeseen expenditures that may arise from the occurrence of calamities within the city and in other areas declared to be in a state of calamity by a competent authority.

The proposed appropriation for personal services totals P209,107,340.46 while appropriation for development projects has been set at P86.5 million, which reportedly does not go below the 20 percent projected share from the city's Internal Revenue Allotment of P432.5 million. 

The 2011 proposed annual budget will undergo first reading during the City Council's regular session on Wednesday. /JMO (THE FREEMAN NEWS) (THE FREEMAN NEWS)