SAN JOSE De BUENAVISTA, Antique — The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) on Thursday passed the more than PHP1.3 billion budget of the Antique provincial government for 2018.
SP member Errol T. Santillan, who chairs the committee on finance and appropriations, said his committee found all the documentary requirements for the passage of the Appropriation Ordinance Number 001-2018 in order.
“All the necessary requirements submitted so far were found to be in order, thus, the Committee recommends for the passage of the ordinance,” Santillan said.
The budget approval underwent some delay due to contentions of the SP members that there should be completed programs, projects and activities plus an incorporated budget to promote gender and development, climate change, peace and order, children’s welfare, persons with disability and senior citizens.
Antique Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao appeared before the SP members during their regular session last Thursday to appeal for the passage of the annual appropriation. She was worried that the provincial government might operate on a reenacted 2017 budget.
On January 17, the governor also wrote a letter to the legislators expressing her disappointment on the delay of the approval of the budget which could have been done in December 2017.
“With the welfare and interests of the people of Antique as the paramount consideration, I hereby respectfully and earnestly appeal to each one of you and, collectively as members of the SP that pursuant to Section 323 of the Local Government Code, you ‘continue to hold sessions, without additional remuneration…until such ordinance is approved, and no other business may be taken up during such sessions,” the governor wrote. (Annabel Consuelo Petinglay/PNA)
