BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
It may take two weeks for the Committee on Finance of the Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan to deliberate on the proposed P5.1 billion budget for 2023, which is targeting approval by the first week of December.
Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, the SP presiding officer, yesterday said that the Finance committee chaired by Board Member Rommel Debulgado will start deliberating the proposed budget next week.
We are targeting approval by the SP on the first week of December, as what we did in previous years, Ferrer, currently the acting governor of Negros Occidental until November 11, said.
Ferrer is acting governor while Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson is on official business.
The proposed General Fund Budget for next year is P4,952, 981,228, while the proposed budget of the Economic Enterprise Development Department is pegged at P190,379,525.15.
Compared to this year, the total proposed budget is smaller by 12.7 percent, due to the P780 million reduction of its National Tax Allotment.
Ferrer said the focus of the proposed budget will be food security and health services, as well as requests from various local government units.
Heads of various Capitol departments and offices are expected to defend their proposed budgets before the committee of Debulgado.*
