• CHERYL G. CRUZ
The Sangguniang Panlungsod approved on first reading Oct. 16 the proposed P4.4 billion budget of the Bacolod City government for 2025, with P1.77 billion, or 40.22 percent, earmarked for the first time for the social services sector.
Of the proposed budget to be deliberated on by the SP in the coming weeks, P2.24 billion will come from the city’s National Tax Allocation (NTA) share, and P2.15 billion from local sources.
Mayor Alfredo Benitez, in his budget message to the sanggunian, said that while the increase in the NTA is noted, the more significant hike comes from the local sources, at P525.5 million or 32.25 percent.
He attributed this increase to “high investor confidence, our warm welcome to new businesses, continued support to local industries, the boost in tourism and investments caused by the success of the MassKara Festival and other cultural events, and the enhanced and intensified tax collection efforts.”
The mayor also stressed that next year’s allocation is the first for Bacolod to breach the P4-billion mark. “While our 2024 budget of P3.6 billion enjoyed an 11 percent increase from the 2023 budget, next year’s budget is double that, or a 22.22 percent increase amounting to P800 million.”
The increase is noteworthy and proves that we have financially recovered from the dismal effects of the pandemic, Benitez said. “Full economic recovery has been attained; now is the time for Bacolod to attain its economic peak.”
It will also be the first time for the Social Services sector to get the biggest slice of the budget pie.
“In an unprecedented move, we have allocated the biggest portion of the 2025 annual budget to the Social Services sector, following our commitment to provide a higher quality of life for our constituents, and to support our marginalized brothers and sisters,” Benitez said.
Under this sector, P193 million is being proposed to pay for the services of medical professionals outside of the city’s inner workforce, like doctors, nurses, and medical technologists; P154 million set aside to support the continuity and expansion of the Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP); P50 million for the e-Konsulta, or the city’s platform for online doctor consultations; P44 million for drugs and medicines; and P27 million for medical, dental, and laboratory supplies.
“Social welfare is one of this administration’s biggest priorities, proof of which is the fact that the largest expenditure under this sector is donations at P299.6 million. Special appropriations for senior citizens, differently-abled persons, children, drug abuse, juvenile delinquents, and the urban poor are also funded under this sector,” Benitez said.
The General Public Services sector, or the day-to-day operations of the city government, including the salaries and benefits of city employees, has been allocated P1.53 billion, or 34.99 percent.
The proposed allocation for miscellaneous programs and services reaches P689 million, or 15.68 percent; and P401 million, or 0.11 percent, for the Economic Services sector, to promote economic growth and development through agriculture, trade, tourism and the like.
“Bacolod is well on its way to becoming a full-fledged Super City. We have improved the delivery of basic services, boosted businesses and expanded job opportunities, enlivened tourism by pushing for traditional and creative economies, and introduced bigger and bolder development projects — all of which converge to our central goal of providing quality local governance to the Bacolodnons,” Benitez said.
Next year’s budget “is not merely a reflection of the remarkable progress we have made in the recent years, but it also stands as a beacon of what we are capable of achieving moving forward,” he added. | CGC
