Davao City govt. okays P4.6 billion budget for 2013
December 29, 2012 at 10:50am
Mayor Sara Z. Duterte-Carpio described the amount as record high for the city, and can be credited to the good performance from city-run economic enterprises this year. “The Economic Enterprises (Office) has total estimated receipts of P128 million,” she said. “The increase of P22.6 million or 21% from 2012 estimates is attributed to the good collection performance of the Economic Enterprises in the past year,” she added.
The city operates nine markets, nine cemeteries, one sea port, one transport terminal, one slaughterhouse, one recreation center and one public park from which it collects fees. The public markets generated over half of the total income of the city with P70 million. This was followed by the Davao City Overland Transport Terminal which raked in P25 million in 2012.
The city’s development fund has a total appropriation of P882.7 million for 2013, which will be allocated to infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects. Of the total infrastructure funding, P117.8 million or 13.3% will go to road development; P38 million
is allocated for buildings and other structures. The local government also recommended a budget of P80 million for its social development projects.
Meanwhile, the city approved P500 million for debt servicing, which is 57% of the total development fund. “This is the best option available to fund the priority and urgent needs of the barangays for infrastructure projects and socio-economic and environment projects,” the mayor said.
“The city government shall exert its efforts in coming up with solutions to save and raise funds to augment the debt servicing fund by P113 million before its (due date),” the city’s budget message read.
Sheena Duazo, Bayan-Southern Mindanao spokesperson, said the city still has P2.3 billion in debts even if it already paid P461.2 million in 2011 and allocated P145.8 million for debt servicing covering January to April of 2012. She’s worried that the basic social services will be compromised as the city’s resources are spread too thin.
The local government has outstanding debts to the Land Bank of the Philippines and other financing institutions for its drainage program and the modernization of the traffic system. It has only recently finished paying for the P150-million Artica Sports Dome, which would have been the city’s first modern sports facility.
The project was mothballed in 2001 when then mayor and now vice-mayor, Rodrigo R. Duterte, cited corruption and risks to the public as the site was too close to a fault line.
Source: bworldonline.com
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