P12 B Capitol budget awaits Gwen’s signature

Provincial Board Members passed on third and final reading earlier today, December 2, 2019, the P12 billion budget for 2020. Also in the photo are Vice Governor Hilario Davide III (1st row, 4th from left) and Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre (1st row, 5th from left). | Rosalie Abatayo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government’s P12 billion budget for 2020 is now awaiting the signature of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

The allocation, which is so far biggest in the Capitol’s 450-year history, was passed during the Provincial Board’s regular session held this afternoon, December 2, 2019.

Capitol’s 2020 budget is almost thrice this year’s allocation of P4.69 billion.

Read More: All-Time High: Gwen wants P12 B budget in 2020

The 12 Provincial Board Members, who were present in this afternoon’s session, passed on third and final reading the budget ordinance authored by PB Member Glenn Anthony Soco of the third district of Cebu. Budget deliberation lasted only for three minutes.

“It is bound to happen — the approval. There were no questions so everything was in order,” said Vice Governor Hilario Davide III, the Provincial Board’s presiding officer.

Garcia submitted her draft of the executive budget to the Provincial Board on October 16 after she completed three rounds of budget calls with the different departments.

It also underwent review by members of the PB’s Budget and Appropriation and the Local Finance Committees last Nov. 6.

Read more: More revisions for Capitol’s P12-billion executive budget for 2020

“The proposed (2020) annual budget has undergone the necessary procedural and substantial requirements mandated under applicable laws, rules, and regulation,” Soco said in his speech which he delivered prior to final approval of his budget ordinance.

While a question was raised on the fund source during the budget deliberation, Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre gave the assurance that next year’s projected collections are sufficient to fund the allocation.

Should they fall short of their collection targets, Salubre said that the provincial government can always implement adjustments on their expenditures to make sure that they spent only what they earn during the calendar year.

Read More: Gwen to prioritize infra projects, hospitals upgrade in 2020 budget

The biggest chunk of the Capitol’s 2020 budget amounting to P7.9 billion is placed under the Office of the Governor. The allocation will be spent mostly on infrastructure projects that will be implemented starting on the first quarter of 2020 and are expected for completion within the year.

Another P2 billion is set aside for the improvement of 12 district and four provincial hospitals that are under the care of the Provincial Health office. / dcb