Workers from the Cebu City Health Department take swab samples from residents in Sitio Callejon, Barangay Labangon in this April 2020 file photo.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella has proposed a P10.8 billion budget for the city for 2021 with the bulk of it dedicated to health.
Councilor Raymond Garcia, City Council’s chairperson for the committee on finance, said that they were now reviewing the P10.8 billion annual budget from the mayor which placed emphasis on health and the senior citizens.
Read: Cash cards for senior citizens in Cebu City ready by December 2020
This budget is P400 million higher than the 2020 budget, which was only at P10.4 billion.
The huge chunk of the budget goes to health-related services including the Cebu City Health Department (CHD), the city’s medical facilities and its workers, and anti-flu and anti-pneumonia vaccines.
The CHD is given a big chunk of the budget as well with a total of P305 million. On top of that, the city allocated P150 million for the anti-flu and anti-pneumonia vaccines.
Read: Councilor to Labella: Prioritize pandemic response in 2021 budget
On top of this, hospital services will get P576 million for a total of P1 billion. This pales in comparison to the less than half a billion allotted for health services in 2020.
The biggest chunk of the budget still goes to the Office of the Mayor with P1.25 billion, but this includes P900 million for the senior citizen’s financial assistance.
The Department of Public Services (DPS) is getting P539 million budget for their projects that would involve collecting garbage and cleaning the rivers. A separate P4.56 million has been allotted for the DPS’s streetlighting division.
The Department of Social Welfare and Services accounts for P565 million, which already include the unrevealed budget for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
The Department of Engineering and Public Works will get P284 million for the maintenance of drainage and streets, of which P64 million will be allotted for equipment.
The allotted aid for the barangays have increased considerably compared to 2020 as in the 2021 budget, the allocation reached P796 million compared to 2020’s P492 million.
Read: Cebu City dangles P100k worth of incentives to barangays that can achieve COVID-free status
Garcia said the city had budgeted more in case the city would need to help the barangays in terms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response.
Funds for disaster response increased as well from P135 million in 2020 to P383 million in 2021. This is also in preparation for further damage by the La Niña and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Council’s Committee on Budget and Finance will begin their budget hearing on November 3, 2020, as the council aims to pass the annual budget before December 2020./dbs