MANILA Mayor Isko Moreno announced having signed the ordinance appropriating a city budget of P20 billion for next year, or year 2021.
In line with this, Moreno appealed to the taxpayers to help the city government by making sure they settle their taxes on time.
“’Yang P20 billion, pipilitin naming malikom para ipantustos sa mga pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan. Mga numero lang ‘yan huwag kayo masyado umasa nang mataas. Ang importante me goal ang pamahalaang-lungsod. Pag na-achieve natin yan, maa-achieve na din natin pati mga tustusin,” Moreno said.
“Sa mga taxpayers, sana ay tulungan ninyo ang gobyerno. Magbayad kayo sa takdang araw at bilang kapalit, magiging masinop, mainam at episyente kami sa pagtugon sa social problems ng lungsod,” Moreno added.
Under City Ordinance 8702 passed unanimously by the city council headed by Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna as presiding officer, majority floorleader Atty. Joel Chua and president pro tempore Jhong Isip, the said amount will be taken from the estimated income certified as reasonably collectible by the Local Finance Committee and which are not otherwise appropriated. The funds appropriation represents authorized budgetary support for the continued operation of various departments, offices and obligations of the city.
The budgetary requirements include the following: no department or office of the city government shall abolish or convert existing plantilla positions nor create new positions without a valid ordinance and the necessary appropriation; unused appropriations cannot be classified as savings without the prior consent of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, the use of which requires a separate Ordinance; the appropriation of the Non-Office Account, being a contingency fund or back up fund that may be utilized by the City Government to support programs that need to be addressed immediately and/or to augment the funds needed by the different departments to finish certain programs/projects that were not sufficiently funded, cannot be utilized without specific program of expenditures endorsed by the city mayor to the Sangguniang Panlungsod through the Committee on Appropriations for approval.
It also requires that the payment for garbage hauling shall be based on trip tickets accompanied by a certification of the barangay chairman attesting that the garbage collection was actually conducted. Garbage hauling services shall be contracted out to one or more companies as recommended by the Department of Public Services to ensure efficient and timely collection of garbage.
As additional funding source, any city government property declared disposable by the Committee on Patrimonial Properties shall seek the prior consent of the Sangguniang Panlungsod through the chairman of the Appropriations Committee for authority to the Mayor to dispose the same through public bidding.
Any purchase of cleaning agents (solution and detergents) using city government funds shall conform with Republic Act No. 9003, otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, Republic Act No. 8749 and Republic Act No. 9275, otherwise known as the Clean Water Act of 2004. Hence, products to be procured shall be limited to organic, biodegradable or environment-friendly products that are approved by the National Eco –Labelling Program of Green Choice Philippines.
All infrastructure projects funded by the City Government are required to strictly implement the provisions on Accessibility for Persons with Disability under Republic Act No. 7277, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, before the release of any payment.
Last year’s budget was P17 billion.
