BUB no more; enter ADMP with P136-M for Mt Province

HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina Dizon

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- The Bottom Up Planning (BUB) program of former President Benigno Aquino 111 is no more.

In its place is Assistance  to Disadvantaged  Municipalities  Program (ADMP) under the administration of  President Rodrigo Duterte  to “strengthen local government units as able partners in national  development”  with a total budget of  P19.4 billion  for year 2017.

Of the nationwide P19.4 billion budget for the new program as provided  in the joint memorandum circular No 1 between the Dept. of Interior and Local Government  and  Dept. of Budget and Management, the Cordillera Administrative Region gets P927.7 million covering its six provinces. 

Mountain Province is allotted P136.29 million for  its 10 municipalities. Natonin gets the highest budget and the second biggest in CAR at P23.9 million followed by Besao at P23.8-M , vegetable producing town of Bauko, P23.4-M; Bontoc, P19.5-M; Sabangan, P14.2-M ; Barlig, P14-M; Tadian, P13-M, Paracelis,  P10M, Sagada at P9-M and Sadanga at P8.8 million. 

Budget cap is determined by the equal share of each covered municipality from the total program allocation, per capita share of the municipality, years-based share from previous national government allocation and share for good performance.

The joint circular provides that projects identified for funding “must be culled from any of the existing plans  of the municipality  for example the local development investment program, local disaster risk reduction action plan or any sector-based or area –based plan of the municipality.

DILG provincial director Anthony Ballug said identified plans done by civil society organizations a year ago and coordinated by LGUS in the previous BuB process may be used as reference.
        Projects for 2017 may be requested for funding namely water systems, evacuation facility, local access roads, small water impounding and sanitation facilities.

Said circular  ensures that “all concerned are able to abide with the processes and responsibilities in the projects identification at the municipal level, coordination between the LGUs and the DILG and DBM regional offices and budget implementation at the national level.”

Ballug said the ASDM program is a different program from the BuB as the ADMP program budget only comes from that allocated for DILG .

Other government agencies may have their respective LGU assistance program funds, he added.
The previous BuB process was  earlier coordinated by the DILG and identified projects funds sourced from  various government agencies including Departments of Trade and Industry, Social Welfare and Development ,  Education , Health, Environment and Natural Resources and Technical Education Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

In same interview with Ballug,  he said the program Payapa and Masaganang Pamayanan is uncertain whether it will  continue or not or pursued  by another name.

       PAMANA was a flagship program of former President Benigno Aquino for 2011-2016. Said program is administered by the Office of the Presidential Assistant on Peace Process and coordinated by  DILG.

Ballug said PAMANA projects for 2016 are ongoing namely the P6 million Tadian waterworks for Kayan and Lubon and the  P20 million  Betwagan Sadanga access road on its procurement stage. 

The P1.5 million Ambagiw Besao evacuation center has been completed.