DAVAO CITY – The annual budget of P6,315,729,772, billion for 2016 was approved Tuesday on its third and final reading during the 44th regular session of the 17th City Council.
Chairman of the Committee on Finance, Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang said in a press conference that next year’s annual budget is higher with approximately P500 million compared to this year’s P5.8 billion budget.
He said that the big source of this budget comes from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) which increased by 5%.
“We keep on hammering the treasurer to collect more taxes”, Dayanghirang added.
However, he said with Davao City’s vast area, provincial district collectors have a hard time in collecting without vehicle, which is one of the problems that they need to address.
The bulk of the appropriations or 79 percent will cover all the expenditures including salary of the employees, operations of the various departments, offices, units of the city with P5,000,962,293. Under this, the office of the City Mayor will get 38 percent or P1.9 billion. The City Council allocation will get at least 8 percent, or P406.6 million.
The city has also allotted 19 percent or P1.186 billion of the total budget to fund hard and soft projects.
Meanwhile, the city’s enterprise, including slaughterhouse, Davao City Overland Transport Terminal, Davao City Recreation Center, Magsaysay Park, Sta. Ana Port, Pasalubong Center, cemeteries, and markets will get P128,215,650 for its operational expenses.
Dayanghirang said “budget appropriation is very objective in nature”.
“Whatever is intended for the budget, it should really be allocated there,” he said.(davaotoday.com)
