Cebu PB Passes PHP3.64B Provincial Budget for 2016

The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) has approved the provincial government’s PHP3.64-billion budget for 2016, which is 21.3 percent higher than this year’s PHP3-billion budget.

The governor’s office got the biggest chunk of the budget, with PHP623.63-million, or some PHP161 million more than its budget this year.

The budget was based on the total available resources for appropriation amounting to PHP2.66 billion.

The rest will be taken from the province’s Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) share.

The development assistance to the barangays was increased from PHP50 million this year to PHP60 million, while the development assistance to cities and municipalities was also increased from PHP38 million this year to PHP50 million next year.

Funds for projects and programs in the Annual Investment Plan for 2016 also increased from PHP462 million this year to PHP520 million in 2016.

The budget for the Provincial Health Office (PHO), with the second biggest share, was also increased from PHP409.35 million this year to PHP433.89 million next year.

The PHO allotted PHP15 million for medicines and PHP12.4 million for the hospital or health services supplies, equipment and furniture and fixtures.

The Accounting Office has the third biggest share with a total budget of PHP180.83 million. (PNA) LAP/EB/EDS