Proposed 2022 budget of Negros Occidental Provincial Government: P5.7 billion

The proposed 2022 budget of the Negros Occidental Provincial Government is P5,719,337,346, P1.3 billion higher than this year’s budget of P4.4 billion.

A big chunk of the proposed P5.7-B budget will go to the Special Purpose Appropriations (SPA) witj P2,142,140,592 or 37.45 percent of the proposed budget.

The SPA includes appropriations for gender, disaster, peace and order and other special concerns and sectors.

This is contained in the budget message of Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson addressed to the members of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan of Negros Occidental led by Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer.

For Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), a total of P1,812, 481,024 or 31.69 percent is allotted, personal services at P1,752,715,730 or 30.65 percent of the budget, and capital outlay at P12,000,000 or .21 percent.

Under the personal services, a total of P1,143,071,636 or 65.22 percent is allotted for social services sector, P344,765,598 or 19. 67 percent for general public services sector and P264,878,496 or 15. 11 percent for the economic services sector.

A total of P183,846,174.37 was appropriated for the operation of the Economic Enterprise Development Department.

Lacson said the “annual expenditure program is designed to better address the issues and concerns of our province.”

“Notwithstanding that there is a dramatic increase in our National Tax Allotment (formerly Internal Revenue Allotment) due to the Supreme Court ruling on the Mandanas-Garcia Case, it is still an uphill climb considering that this does not come without added responsibilities,” the governor pointed out.

The SC affirmed that local government units are entitled to a “just share” from all national taxes collected and not just from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

“As a result of the additional sum in our NTA, the provincial government is required to provide programs, projects, and activities to be devolved from the national government,” he added.

He said that 94.25 percent of the total estimated budget will be derived from the NTA while 5.75 percent from local revenues.*