CAGAYAN de Oro City Mayor Oscar Moreno's proposed P5.4 billion budget would revive some of the city’s social welfare programs that had become non-functional because of previous budget cuts, an official of the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWD) said.
Teddy Sabuga-a, CSWD head, said the office, a key department in the delivery of basic services to the underprivileged, has been severely affected in the budget cuts.
Moreno has proposed P5.4B for the 2017 annual budget, a 60 percent increase compared to last year's P4.8 billion.
Last year, the Padayon dominated City Council approved only P2.4 billion of Moreno’s proposed budget.
In 2013, a P3.8 billion budget was approved while the succeeding year, only P2.31 billion was green lighted of the P2.64 billion budget proposal.
Sabuga-a said that because of the cuts, they also had to cut the meal budget of non-profit organizations caring for abandoned kids, such as the Boystown and the Tahanan ng Kabataan.
"In 2013, P50 per day ang budget sa ila, in 2014, gi-increase ni Mayor Moreno to P100 per day, but in 2015 tungod sa budget cut nahimo nalang hinuon na P27 ang meal budget everyday per child (In 2013, the meal budget was P50 per day. In 2014, Mayor Moreno increased it to P100 per day, but in 2015 due to budget cut, it lowered to P27 everyday per child)," Sabuga-a said.
The previous City Council also refused to put in money for the city’s child development program and the aid for indigents program and approved a meager amount for the senior citizens sector, just enough for the burial assistance.
Sabuga-a said with the 2017 budget proposal, he expects that the budget for the CSWD to double.
"Karon, we are targeting around P150 million na budget for CSWD (We are now targeting around P150 million budget for CSWD)," he said.
Moreno, for his part, said among his priorities were the construction of a rehabilitation facility, health and education programs, infrastructure, and social services.
"I hope so na ma-approve nila, I don't want to pre-empt the City Council but we will have to show that we can do it," he said.
About P4.049 billion of Moreno's proposed budget will be placed under the general fund, while an amount of P500 million is allotted for borrowings.
The P444.340 million is intended for the Special Education Fund, P281.617 million is for the Development Fund, while another P1171.592 million is allocated for the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management fund.
