Baguio council approves P1.77-B 2017 city budget

BAGUIO CITY  – The city council approved the local government’s 2017 budget amounting to P1,776,213,147 which is P10 million higher than the earlier proposal of the executive branch.

The P10 million that was added to the original proposed budget of P1,766,213,147 will be sourced out from the sale of fertilizers produced by the city’s two Environmental Recycling System (ERS) machines based at the old Irisan dumpsite for additional assistance to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) amounting to P1.5 million, completion of the rehabilitation of Malcolm Square comfort room, green wall, cistern among others amounting to P2.5 million, completion of the barangay hall at Kayang Hilltop worth P1.2 million and purchase of two trucks for the City Engineer’s Office in the amount of P4.8 million.

The local government will be sourcing the city’s budget from the beginning balance amounting to P230 million, tax revenue – P418,95 million, non-tax revenue – P248.715 million, and external resources amounting to P868.55 million.

The city’s budget will be spent for personal services amounting to P649.042 million, maintenance and other operating expenditures – P714.47 million, capital outlay – P`402.71 million, non-office expenditures – P118.72 million, disaster risk reduction and management fund – P76.81 million and local development fund – P198.81 million.

However, the local legislative body provided a budget of P12.3 million for the hauling of the city’s residual waste to the Capas, Tarlac sanitary landfill while the remaining P75 million from the appropriation of environment and sanitary services was transferred to the other maintenance and other operating expenses until such time that the city General Services Office shall have submitted the contract between the local government and the hauler to the council for confirmation.

The local legislators also included as a condition of the approval of the budget the submission of all contracts entered into between the local government and private and public entities for confirmation pursuant to the provisions of the Local Government code of the Philippines that empowers the local legislative body to confirm all agreements entered into by the local chief executive.

 On the other hand, the local legislators also required the Baguio Flower Festival Foundation, Inc. to submit its detailed expenses of its income-generating activities pursuant to the findings and recommendations of the Commission on Audit (COA) as contained in an earlier Audit Observation Memorandum that mandates the BFFFI to have a confirmed agreement with the local government to specifically outline the duties and responsibilities of the concerned parties in the yearly event.

The council stood firm the BFFFI must comply with what is being required from them by the COA to prevent the reiteration of the contents of the Audit Observation Memorandum (AOM) that was already handed down for the purpose of correcting whatever deficiencies in the conduct of the month-long festivities in the city. -- Dexter A. See