Council okays P1.9 billion 2021 budget

THE CITY Council approved on third and final reading an ordinance appropriating the amount of P1.904.4 billion as the city’s annual budget for next year. Under the proposed 2021 annual budget, the sources of revenues for programmed expenditures include tax revenues – P422,120,000; non-tax revenue – P350,310,000; share from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority ( PEZA) – P125,000,000; share from Internal Revenue Allotment ( IRA) – P1,004,552,458; and share from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) – P2,500,000. The expenditures programmed in next year’s budget include personal services account for 45.19 percent or P640,592,000; maintenance and other operating expenses followed with 38.13 percent or P726,110,458; capital outlay was provided with 1.13 percent or P21,555,000; development fund was allotted 10.55 percent or P201,000,000; and disaster risk reduction and management fund was provided with 5 percent or P95,225,000. According to the city’s public information office, the city’s proposed 2021 annual budget is categorized into sectors defined under the pertinent provisions of the Local Government Code as general services which was earmarked 42.71 percent or P813,384,000; economic services that was allocated 23.73 percent or P451,861,000; social services was provided with 18.01 percent or P343,012,458 and other services that was allocated P15.55 percent or P296,225,000. Highlights of next year’s proposed budget include full provision of the statutory obligations for the second tranches of the Salary Standardization Law (SSL) II, including the upgrading of the entry level of nurse positions