The Provincial Board is expected to act on the stalled 2013 budget of the Province when it meets on Tuesday.
The Board returned the proposed Php 1.415 billion budget to the Office of the Governor after its last session on December 27, 2012, to give time to Governor Degamo to review the items.
Board Member Jessica “Ikay” Villanueva Koppin said the Board made the decision after majority of the Board Members questioned the slashing of funds of some offices while increasing the budget for other items.
Villanueva said Board members were surprised by the slashing of the budget for tourism, for instance, where the Governor gave only a little over a million from the original budget request of P14 million.
The Board members also also asked why the Governor has to get P10 million for Intelligence funds when specific allocations have already been given to the Army and the Police.
Degamo, meanwhile, in a radio interview last December, seemed unwilling to bend on the figures already inputted in the proposed budget. He justified his P10 million intelligence fund, saying the use of the Intelligence Fund led to the capture of seven guns-for-hire and the surrender of NPA rebels.
Degamo and Provincial Board Member Rodrigo Alanano both said the act of the Provincial Board was only meant to delay the delivery of goods and services and would also result in the freezing of the salary increase of the provincial employees.
Under the Governor’s proposed budget, a total of P1.1 billion will be funded by the Internal Revenue Allotment, which is the share of the Province from the national revenues.
The balance of over P300,000 will be sourced from revenues from the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital and the Talay Rehabilitation Center, local taxes and rentals from the Lamberto Macias Sports and Cultural Center and the Negros Oriental Convention Center.
