South Cotabato Board approves Php2.259 Billion 2020 Annual Budget

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of South Cotabato recently approved Resolution No. 416 which enacts Appropriation ordinance No. 2019-07 authorizing the 2020 Annual Budget of the province in the amount of Php2.259 Billion which will be used starting January 1 to December 31, 2020.
Based on the resolution authored by Hon. Noel Escobillo, SP committee chairperson on appropriations and co-authored by the whole August Body, of the total amount, the Php2.23 Billion will be used under General Fund and the remaining Php23 million will be used for the operation of the South Cotabato Economic Enterprise.
The total allocated amount of Php2.268 Billion was however reduced by Php9 million due to unappropriated balance deducted from the Subsidy to LGUs-Roel I. Senador, MD Memorial Hospital amounting to Php4 million and Php5 million from the financial assistance under the Palay Support Program.
The ordinance, however, provides that the governor and the presiding officer of the SP are authorized to augment any item in this budget within the same expense class of their respective appropriations.
Pursuant to Section 324 of Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991, and other pertinent issuances, said approved 2020 Annual Budget will be spent on the following items;
Debt servicing, not to exceed 20% of the regular income; provision of aid for component barangays of not less than PhpP1,000.00 per barangay or in the amount of Php199,000.00.
For Personal Services, a total of Php607.2 Million was appropriated which will cover the salaries and wages and other PS requirements of 1009 regular plantilla personnel, 106 casual/contractual positions; while another lump sum amount of Php56.37 million under the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefit Fund (MPBF) to cover the forthcoming 1st tranche of salary increase under President Duterte’s term of office;
Also included is the PS allocation for two (2) positions to man the Persons with Disability Affairs Unit (PDAU), ten (10) new positions under various offices, the creation of which were authorized under Sanggunian Panlalawigan (SP) Ordinance No. 20, Series of 2019 and SP Ordinance Nos. 35 and 46, and 14, and 6, Series of 2014, 2017 and 2019, respectively;
The amount of PHp19.54 million for the hazard pay based on the 4th tranche salary schedule of the compensation adjustment pursuant to Executive Order No. 201, dated February 19, 2016, was also provided.
Php1.16 million for the Maintenance and Other Operating which will comprise the wages of 1,476 workers on Job Order basis; food supplies at Forty Pesos (P40) per day for an average of 1,800 inmates in the amount of Php26.3 million; drugs and medicines, medical, dental, and laboratory supplies, food supplies of patients and other operating expenses requirements of the four (4) provincial government-run hospitals: the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital, Norala District Hospital, Polomolok Municipal Hospital, and the Upper Valley Community Hospital;
Php473.24 million for Property, Plant, and Equipment intended for various goods and services classified as asset of the provincial government which include the purchase of 195 units of double deck beds for use of male inmates, and the purchase of one (1) unit 60-seater tourist bus under the Provincial Governor’s Office-Arts, Culture, Tourism and Museum (PGO–ACTM) to further advance tourism and promotion activities of the province.
The Appropriation ordinance also provides that there is an estimated income of Php2.268 Billion for CY 2020 coming from Local Sources such as Tax revenue amounting to Php77.16 million; Non-Tax revenue of Php390.4 million; External Sources of Php1.77 Billion; and income from the South Cotabato economic Enterprises of Php23.2 million.