DAGUPAN CITY — A total of PHP165,150,383.25 in savings and surplus from the city’s 2017 budget will be used to finance the installation of street lights, the purchase of a brand new bus, and the city’s scholarship program, among others.
This was approved by the City Council as the majority of its members voted to pass the 2018 Supplemental Budget No. 1 on Wednesday.
Councilor Jeslito Seen, author of the ordinance, in an interview on Friday, said the majority of the budget will be sourced from the city’s savings last fiscal year, amounting to PHP147,605,328.93.
“While the remainder of said budget will come from the city’s savings under City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund worth PHP7 million; surplus from various projects under the 20 percent development fund from Fiscal Year 2009 to 2017 amounting to PHP6,095,054.32; savings from personal services under various offices for the first quarter of calendar year 2018 worth PHP3.6 million; savings from the rehabilitation of Pugaro Elementary School Gym worth PHP500,000; and reversion from Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses under Sangguniang Panlungsod worth PHP350,000,” he said.
Most notable projects allotted for Supplemental Budget No. 1 would be the first phase of the installation of street lights at the city’s central business district worth PHP10 million; the purchase of a brand new 51-seater city bus amounting to PHP6.8 million; and the PHP7 million additional cost for the city’s scholarship program, said Seen.
“Majority of the projects to be funded by the supplemental budget would be spent for the upgrading of pavements and infrastructures, and improvements for the city,” he added.
Seen said that some urgent programs and projects were not included in the city’s Annual Budget, hence the preparation and approval of a supplemental budget ordinance.
Dagupan Mayor Belen Fernandez, in a radio interview on Thursday, commended the approval of the city’s supplementary budget, saying it would mark the start of more projects. (PNA)
