Tabuk hospital work stopped
>> Thursday, August 10, 2023
TABUK CITY, Kalinga -- The local government here
stopped construction of a 100-bed city-owned and managed hospital because of
large reduction in the city's National Tax Allocation (NATA) for this year.
Mayor Darwin Estrañero said the plan to put up the hospital will be on hold because of the P243 million reduction on the city's NATA following implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia doctrine handed down by the Supreme Court.
He added the planned hospital will be subjected to another round of feasibility studies to determine whether or not the local government will be able to sustain its operations with the NATA projected reduction in the coming years.
Tabuk's revenue collection for the last two years was pulled down by the Covid-19 pandemic with another P3 million reduction to its NATA because of creation of two additional cities in the province also had an impact on priority programs, projects and activities this year.
Estrañero said the city government had to forego funding of some P125 million projects under the local development plan, P25 million for the hiring of job order personnel to help in waste management programs and projects and another P75 million for other priority programs of concerned offices this year.
"We had to implement some belt-tightening measures to mitigate effects of significant reduction of our national tax allocation for this year. We want to sustain a balanced budget to avoid incurring deficiencies, which will greatly affect the city's status in the future," the mayor said.
He said the study will help them decide whether or not to pursue the hospital project.
Tabuk recently celebrated its 73rd anniversary as a community by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 533 signed on June 16, 1950, and its 16th city anniversary by virtue of RA 9404 that was signed on June 24, 2007, as well as the 22nd Matagoan festival the city being the declared City of Life in the Cordillera.
Mayor Darwin Estrañero said the plan to put up the hospital will be on hold because of the P243 million reduction on the city's NATA following implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia doctrine handed down by the Supreme Court.
He added the planned hospital will be subjected to another round of feasibility studies to determine whether or not the local government will be able to sustain its operations with the NATA projected reduction in the coming years.
Tabuk's revenue collection for the last two years was pulled down by the Covid-19 pandemic with another P3 million reduction to its NATA because of creation of two additional cities in the province also had an impact on priority programs, projects and activities this year.
Estrañero said the city government had to forego funding of some P125 million projects under the local development plan, P25 million for the hiring of job order personnel to help in waste management programs and projects and another P75 million for other priority programs of concerned offices this year.
"We had to implement some belt-tightening measures to mitigate effects of significant reduction of our national tax allocation for this year. We want to sustain a balanced budget to avoid incurring deficiencies, which will greatly affect the city's status in the future," the mayor said.
He said the study will help them decide whether or not to pursue the hospital project.
Tabuk recently celebrated its 73rd anniversary as a community by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 533 signed on June 16, 1950, and its 16th city anniversary by virtue of RA 9404 that was signed on June 24, 2007, as well as the 22nd Matagoan festival the city being the declared City of Life in the Cordillera.
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