THE Provincial Board (PB) approved on third and final reading the provincial government’s P4.5 billion budget for next year.
There were no addendum or reduction made to the budget proposal throughout its three readings in the PB, board member Celestino Martinez III said.
Martinez, chairperson of the committee on budget and appropriations, said next year’s budget is P1.08 billion more than this year’s budget of P3.6 billion.
Provincial Budget Officer Danilo Rodas said the bigger budget is due to the province’s increased revenue. The Capitol’s entire health department received the largest chunk of the P4.5 billion budget.
At P1.4 billion, the Provincial Health Office (PHO), the four provincial and 12 district hospitals and their corresponding workers, and other programs pertaining to health were given the largest allocation.