BACOLOD City – Councilor Cindy Rojas hopes the proposed P2.6 billion budget for 2021 would be approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) earlier than expected next month.
Rojas, chair of the SP’s committee on finance and appropriations, is leading the first day of a two-week committee hearing for the proposed annual budget beginning today, Nov. 9.
During the marathon budget hearings, Rojas said all department heads are summoned to explain their respective offices’ proposed budgets.
The proposed budget – 13 percent lower than this year’s P3-billion budget – already hurdled first reading in the SP.
Rojas said a large chunk of the budget would fund the province’s health services and address the damage caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia earlier said the capital city needed to slow down.
“Bacolod was accelerating very fast during the past years. It took us 80 years to reach our first billion budget, but it only took us nine years to reach the second billion and only two years to reach the third billion. So that’s how fast we were growing, but all of a sudden because of this pandemic, we have to slow down,” Leonardia said.
He added that the proposed budget will not affect the funds for the City Health Office since the health concern is now the priority because of the pandemic.
The 2021 budget prioritizes health services, the solid waste management, social welfare services, public order and safety, anti-drug campaign as in line with the national thrust, improvement of traffic management, economic and infrastructure development, tourism and education.
Leonardia said this year’s P3-billion annual budget is up by a high 19 percent over 2018’s budget, one of the highest increases in the city’s local budget history./PN
