The Iloilo province in the Visayas region is proposing a budget of USD 66.77 million for the year 2021. This is 6% higher than the allocated budget of the province for 2020 and is now pending review and approval of the Iloilo Provincial Board.
The budget proposal, anchored on the program “Rehabilitation and Transformation of the Province of Iloilo to Catalyze Recovery (RT-PCR)”, will center on 4 major sectors:
- The economic and social sectors, which will be allotted budgets of USD 10.3 million each
- The general public sector with USD 20.64 million
- Special purpose appropriations with USD 25.39 million.
The general fund, which will take up 62% of the total budget, will be allocated for Current Operating Expenditures (COE) that will cover personal services and maintenance and other operating expenses of the Iloilo Capitol. The remaining 38% is allocated for Special Purpose Lump Sum Appropriations (SPLSA) which will cover the following:
- A development fund that will be utilized to finance development projects such as road construction, water supply projects, environmental rehabilitation, pre- and post-harvest facilities, solid waste management facilities, small irrigation, hospital upgrading, street lightings, daycare centers, and other related small infrastructure.
- A provincial disaster risk reduction and management fund, aid to barangays, loan amortization, and local economic enterprise advances.
Among the significant allocations is the budget for the 11 district hospitals and one provincial hospital administered by the provincial government that is now beefing up health programs with a focus on boosting the capacity of COVID-19 teams, while prioritizing the upgrading of medical facilities and hiring of additional medical personnel.
Iloilo has been one of the emerging investment destinations in the Philippines with Iloilo City experiencing a rise in residential and commercial activities over the past years. Iloilo province is composed of 42 municipalities and 2 cities, which include the highly urbanized Iloilo City.
(Source: SunStar)
