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[av_heading tag=’h3′ padding=’10’ heading=’2017 city hall budget OK’d 6 ‘at risk’ departments make it’ color=” style=’blockquote modern-quote’ custom_font=” size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ custom_class=”]
BY MAE SINGUAY
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BACOLOD City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod has approved the P2-billion city government budget for 2017.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia lauded and thanked the councilors for passing the budget before Christmas Day. Their next step is the formulation of the Executive-Legislative Agenda, said the mayor.
The approval on Wednesday evening was a “unanimous” decision, Councilor Caesar Distrito said in a Facebook post.
And the six city hall departments earlier at risk of getting excluded have been included.
Bacolod Boys Home, City Population Office, Bacolod Traffic Authority Office, Human Resource Management Services, Register of Deeds, and Board of Tax Appeal snubbed the budget hearings.
But these offices have provided acceptable reasons for their absence, according to Distrito, chairman of the committee on finance and appropriations that led the hearings on Nov. 15, 16 and 18.
The councilor said the budget included a P220-million development fund for infrastructure projects such as roads, artesian wells, drainages, sanitary landfill, foot walks, bridges, and traffic lights.
It also included P50 million for a road network; P104 million for salary increase of regular employees; P120 million for allowances of teachers, police officers, judges, fiscals, Public Attorney’s Office lawyers, firefighters, jail guards, barangay health workers, day care workers, city development workers, and barangay nutrition scholars; P10 million for free PhilHealth coverage; and P10 million for free medicines.
Also included were allocations for free cakes and Christmas cash aid for senior citizens; scholarship fund; free school supplies and school bags; miscellaneous fees for public elementary and high schools; and medical, burial and fire assistance.
Other funds were for free public Wi-Fi; summer job program; projects of senior citizens and persons with disabilities; gender and development; livelihood; hospital and medical assistance; anti-rabies activities; and aid to private and nongovernment organizations and charitable institutions./PN
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