Negros Oriental Gov. Agustin Perdices on Monday met with provincial officials and five town mayors where farm-to- market roads amounting to P15-million shall be constructed to prevent the funding allocation from being returned to the national government. {{more}}
Perdices said the unliquidated amount was earlier earmarked for farm-to-market roads under a program of the Department of Agriculture since 2008 until the current year.
The local government units and their corresponding budgets for the farm-to-market roads are Bindoy, P5 million; Mabinay and Sta. Catalina, P3 million each; Siaton and Zamboanguita, P2 million each.
The beneficiary towns were selected based on their need for such roads on top of the LGUs not having unliquidated balances at the DA, the governor said.
The releases shall be given by the DA directly to these LGUs, he added.
The governor disclosed that Capitol recently received a letter from Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala saying that if the P15 million shall not be spent by July 31st, the national government will be getting it back.
Perdices explained the law requires mandatory liquidation of prior releases for government programs and projects before the national government can make new budget allocations.
The provincial government of Negros Oriental still has about P2.4 million in funds since 2002 that have yet to be liquidated but Capitol is already working on it, said Perdices. (PNA)
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