The facade of the Cebu City Hall legislative building. | CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu City government needs a P100 billion budget to fund its operations in 2024. The amount is double its budget for 2023.
According to Atty. Jerone Castillo, half of the proposed budget will be spent on the city’s fight against climate change, that causes massive flooding every time that it would rain, since the current allocation for the purpose was “inadequate.”
“Matod pa sa atong planning, atong drainage was designed in the 1980s when wala man gani siguro na gicompute ang consideration sa climate change. Niingon siya nga atong usabon ang systema nga mo take into account ang climate change,” said Castillo, the city’s acting budget officer.
Revenue sources
Castillo said that the P100 billion budget proposal for 2024 may be big but this was what the city government needed to achieve its dream of becoming Singapore-like.
And the proposed budget may be raised from the increases in real property taxes that will result from the implementation of revisions in market value of real properties, among others.
If implemented, the planned revisions would earn the city P10 billion to P15 billion in additional revenues.
Castillo told CDN Digital in an interview on Saturday, October 28, that a proposal to revise the market value of real properties and other government fees is now pending with the City Council.
“Naa tay revenue shares na ato giduso sa council. Revision sa market value. There’s also proposals as well as for the other fees na atong giduso sa sangunian,” he said.
International funding
Moreover, Castillo said they are eyeing international aid to help fund a P100 billion budget in 2024.
Castillo said that members of the Cebu City Council plan to tap international organizations that focus on the fight against climate change.
“If I’m not mistaken if it’s a program against climate change, daghan kuno ang funds available from the international community na pwede nato ma-tap,” Castillo said in an interview with CDN Digital.
“If we can just put these things together plus the other sources identified na wala ko ka-remeber karon, that will be the combined sources of the 100 billion,” he added.
Climate change
Castillo said that climate change is a concern that is not only affecting Cebu City or the Philippines. It’s now a growing international concern.
“Sa pagtan-aw nato sa mga lugar, dili lang kita ang naapektaran. Naay US, last flooding was New York, even Singapore nga gipreparan man unta na nila pag ayo pero ngano gabaha pa man sila,” he said.
Still, there was a need for the city government to also respond to the challenge.
“Niingon si Mayor Mike, dili siya ganahan nga muabot sa punto nga mumata nalang ta gabieng dako unya uwan kaayo unya mangolekta nalang tas patay nga lawas,” he added.
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