Mandaue may not achieve target income, but…

CEBU, Philippines – Mandaue City may not likely get its P2.2 billion target income for this year, but city treasurer lawyer Regal Oliva is positive that they will only be short of P100 million,

Oliva is expecting a P2.1-billion collection by yearend.

"As of now, we are already P18 billion in collection. Kuwang pa. P2.2 billion for 2015, (we may collect) P2 billion siguro or nearing P2.1 (billion), so our shortfall mga 100 million. Nonetheless, ang spending di kaabot og P2 billion, mag-surplus pa this year," he said.

In 2014, the city collected P1.3 billion out of its P1.8-billion target. Oliva said they might not have reached the target, but they also did not overspend.

He said he could easily put a lower target so by October, they could just relax, but he always make every annual income target higher for him and the entire city to work harder on.

"It's not easily achievable. There is a process. If you are a lazy treasurer, by October puwede na ka mobakasyon. If dili ma-reach, you have to control expenses by the last quarter," he said.

He said their surplus last year was P270 million, which they used for this year's expenditure. For this year, he believes they will also have a surplus despite of the shortfall, as at the start of the last quarter they have already been minimizing their expenditures.

For next year, the city's proposed annual budget is P2.7 billion, P2.2 billion of which will be from local income, he said. —NSA (FREEMAN)