The city will received P340 million national tax allotment from the national government following the implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling of the Supreme Court.
City Budget Officer Leticia O. Clemente said this amount is part of the P2.3 billion annual budget of the city government to fund the city’s priorities, including the devolved functions of the national offices such as the Department of Health in line with the universal health care, the Department of Social Welfare and Development on supplemental feeding program, day care, Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation, the Department of Agriculture on its dispersal program and the Department of Labor and Employment on its employment generation and database.
She said the initial implementation of the devolution by the national offices will add up to the responsibilities of the concerned departments of the city government, which at the moment have their hands full with their current functions and operations.
Clemente said one of the significant accomplishments of the city government is the prompt preparation and approval of the devolution transition plan for the city and barangays where the budget and planning departments played a key role in facilitating the entire process.
She said the city was the first local government to submit its devolution transition plan among LGUs in the Cordillera.
Baguio City was also the first LGU in the region to submit its approved annual budget amounting to P2.3 billion to the Department of Budget and Management regional office for review.
On Dec. 13, 2021, the city council approved the P2.3B annual budget of the city and the appropriation ordinance was subsequently transmitted to the DBM on Dec. 20, 2021.
Clemente said the passage of the city’s annual budget way ahead of time is a clear manifestation that Baguio is one of the few LGUs where the executive and legislative departments cooperate to achieve the city’s common good.
She added the early passage of the annual budget allows officers and implementers the timely implementation of programs, activities and projects for the current year.
Even with the upcoming elections, Clemente said all the departments want to have more funds, but they just have to work within budgetary ceilings.
Clemente said the city’s finance officers are elated the city government did not incur any overdraft in the face of un-programmed costs to address the prevailing health crisis and the same is attributed to prudent fiscal management. – PIO release
April 25, 2024
