ILOILO City – The office of Vice Mayor Lady Julie Grace Baronda faces another year of financial constraints after its proposed 2027 budget was substantially reduced, with the city government completely removing its capital outlay allocation, raising concerns over the office’s capacity to acquire equipment and other essential assets.
Baronda disclosed that the allocation endorsed for her office was significantly lower than what she had requested and even below the funding provided to her predecessors, continuing a downward trend in the vice mayor’s office budget.
“Lain ang gin-propose, lain man ang gin-approve nila. Very much lower than what I proposed. And very much lower than what was given to the previous vice mayors,” Baronda said after receiving the proposed budget on October 12.
The latest reduction comes after the office’s allocation had already dropped by more than P19 million this year, from P123,539,399.04 in 2025 to P104,062,898 in 2026.
The successive reductions have placed renewed attention on the funding priorities of the city government, particularly the resources being made available to the Office of the Vice Mayor.
Baronda said the complete removal of capital outlay from her proposed 2027 budget would leave her office without funding specifically intended for the acquisition of equipment and other long-term assets.
“Lower, very much lower, kay wala na ko ginhatagan sang capital outlay,” she said.
Capital outlay refers to government expenditures for acquiring, constructing or improving assets intended for long-term use, unlike recurring operational expenses such as personnel salaries, utilities and other administrative costs.
The absence of such funding means the vice mayor’s office would have no dedicated allocation for capital acquisitions under the proposed budget.
Baronda said she had been advised to seek additional funding through a supplemental budget to address the shortfall.
However, she acknowledged that a similar attempt to obtain additional funds had previously been unsuccessful, casting uncertainty over whether another supplemental budget request would be approved.
Despite the reduced allocation, Baronda said she would have to operate within the financial resources eventually approved for her office.
She could not immediately disclose the exact amount she had proposed for 2027 or the allocation endorsed by the city government because the complete budget figures were not available to her during the interview.
The absence of those figures also makes it difficult to determine the full extent of the latest reduction compared with previous years.
Meanwhile, Baronda expressed confidence that the Sangguniang Panlungsod would approve the city’s 2027 budget ordinance before the end of 2026.
The proposed budget is expected to be taken up during an upcoming city council session, where its allocations will undergo further deliberation.
The discussions will provide an opportunity to examine the funding proposed for the vice mayor’s office, including the absence of capital outlay and the possibility of addressing its financial requirements before the budget is finally approved./PN
