NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
A record-breaking budget of P25-billion for the 2021 annual investment plan (AIP) of the provincial government of Bohol will be the financial direction under the administration of Gov. Art Yap.
Amidst the pandemic, much of the appropriation goes to the improvement of health services as presented by the Provincial Development Council chaired by Gov. Yap while it was approved during the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) regular session on Tuesday.
The P25-billion approved AIP for 2021 is unprecedented in the history of the provincial government as it represents a sizable increase amounting to P17-billion from the P7,909,488,754 investment budget of this year. It is P20-billion more than the 2019 AIP.
The AIP however is more than five-folds of the proposed P4.6-billion budget of the provincial government for next year, which has an increment of 33-percent or a total of P1.1 billion to this year’s approved budget of P3.4 billion.
Medical services, agricultural development and waterworks infrastructure are the three top priorities of the Bohol provincial government under its proposed budget for 2021.
In next year’s proposed budget, the Provincial Information and Media Relations (PRIMER) office, which is under the Office of the Governor, is among the offices getting the largest increase in fund allocation, with a total of P31,800,866.90 earmarked for the office’s regular budget as well as its programs and projects, which is approximately P12-million more than its fund allocation this year.
Vice Governor Rene Relampagos, who concurrently chairs the committee on finance, budget and appropriations of the SP, said that the approval of the AIP is a requirement for the passage of the 2021 budget.
Relampagos said a huge chunk of the budget increase is intended for the provincial government’s response and recovery activities addressing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
A total of P295,412,385 is earmarked for the Provincial Health Office (PHO), which is 137-percent higher than the present year’s allocation for said office amounting to P124-million.
The amount of P70-million is allocated for the operation and maintenance of the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) containerized laboratory, P13.4 million for the Bohol Provincial Isolation Center, P46.1 million for the Bohol Provincial Diagnostic and Ambulatory Care Center, and P14.6 million for the New Emerging and Re-emerging Disease Management support fund.
Of the proposed budget, some P1-billion will be utilized for various projects that will fund agricultural development and various projects that will improve waterworks systems for a reliable supply of potable water in the municipalities of the Second and Third Congressional Districts of Bohol, particularly the towns of Talibon, Getafe, Bien Unido, Inabanga and Pamilacan Island.
As of last week, the SP has started “marathon” budget hearings wherein each department or office of the provincial government justified its budget proposals for next year.
The proposed budget will be financed out of the unexpended regular balance in the amount of P185,861,500; real property tax, P55,784,012; other local taxes, P25,967,300; operating and miscellaneous revenue, P570,855,370; extraordinary receipts, P47,200,000; capital investment receipts, P153,000,000; internal revenue allotment (IRA), P2,415,730,404; share from national government/PCSO Lotto, P5,000,000; and proceeds from loans, P1,125,800.
Included in the fund sources is the 20-percent development fund in the amount of P483,946,080 which is derived from the provincial government’s share of the IRA from the national government.
Expected expenditures of the upcoming year are P992,300,876.47 for personal services (salaries and wages); P950,193,522.55 for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE); PP1,696,643,794.30 for capital outlay; P789,226,436.48 for programs and projects of offices; P147,485,796.50 for disaster risk reduction fund; and P16,668,199.70 for special purposes.
20% DEVELOPMENT FUND FOR 2021
The 20-percent development fund of the provincial government will be utilized in 2021, as follows:
General services:
Estimated loan amortization for hospital modernization (LBP), P14,678,311.00
Estimated loan amortization for hospital amortization phase II (MDFO, P5,855,070.00
Estimated loan amortization for hospital modernization phase II ffor (P265-M), P7,950,000.00
Estimated Lon aMotization for procurement of heavy equipment (BDP P218M), P6,540,000.00
Estimated loan amortization for mechanization of com/cassava/fisheries (DBP P125,800M), P3,774,000.00
Estimated loan amortization for water development projects (LBP P1 billion), P30,000,000.00
Social services:
Food assistance to affected families of COVID-19, P28,605,707.00
Rehabilitation of multi-purpose building doe person w/ disabilities, P2,000,000.00
Multi-purpose hall/training center for children’s choir, P3,000,000.00
Economic Services:
Establishment of fish cages, P15.2M
Procurement of Ice-making machine/Cold storage facilities, P5M
Establishment of Fish feed pellet line facility 9including start-up capital, P12M
Procurement of machineries, structures for ART cacao, P5.2M
Establishment of food dehydrator facility of fruits and vegetables, P8.8M
Plant Nursery enhancement project, P2,592,992.40
Construction of Bohol Innovation Hub, P20M
Establishment of 2 units Azolla Green Houses, P1M
Procurement of equipment for meat processing, PM
Water desalination project, P6.5M
Waterworks program: Mabini spings development, P30M
Dimiao Spring development, P10M
Establishment of Agri-Fishery retail terminal/market including equipment (Tagbilaran, Panglao and Carmen), P15M
Counterpart to Roads Devt Program (PRDP), P10M
Concreting of Corella-Balilihan P10M
Concreting of Poblacion Catigbian-Rizal-San Isidro, P10M
Concreting of San Isidro (town)-Catigbian via Caimbang, P10M
Concreting of Cahayag(Tubigon)-Cuswagab Sur (San isidro) road, P10M-
Concreting of Cigbian Poblacion-Ambuan-Sagasa (Balilihan) road, P 10M
Concreting of Candumayao(tigbian)-Bogtongbod (Clarin), P15M
Concreting of junction (LIR) Mahayag-Katipunan road, P10M
Concreting of Poblacion Inabanga-Lawis road, P10M
Concreting of Cambangay (San Miguel)- Soom (Trinidad), P15M
Concreting of Popoo-Tugas road Pres. Carlos P. Garcia, P4M
Concreting of Ewon Sevilla-Candabong, Loboc, P5M
Concreting of Cabantian-Cansiwang-Mayuga, Guindulman, P20M
Concreting of Poblacion-Bugsoc road, Sierra-Bullones, P3M
Concreting of junction Jagna-S-Bullones-Malbog-Calabacita, P3M
Concreting of junction Roxas park-Abejilan- Togbongon-Tabuan (G-Hernandez), P4M
Concreting of Bunga Mar-Kinagbaan-Balili road, Jagna, P25M
Concreting of Tiguis-Calvario, Lila-Cambanse-Alegria (Loboc), P 15M
Concreting of Bagumbayan-Inaghuban rol, Pilar, P15M
Concreting of Poblacon-Casbu-Bato rod, Guindulman, P20M
Concreting of Guadalupe-Monte Video road, carmen, P4M
Concreting of Sevilla-Bilar road, P3M