The Sangguniang Panlalawigan approved on Tuesday an ordinance appropriating P124,003.,520.30 for a supplemental budget and supplemental Annual Investment Plan (AIP) for the year 2023.
The additional fund was requested by the office of the Provincial Governor after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) disallowed some allocations due to discrepancies noticed in the Local Expenditures Program (LEP) of the provincial government.
Board Member Juan Antonio Alvarez, who chairs the Committee on Appropriations, said the supplemental budget is in response to the letter forwarded by the DBM regarding the errors in the LEP.
“Apparently, we need to have a supplemental AIP because some of the budgets ay nag-over doon sa allotted,” Alvarez said.
“As for the supplemental budget naman, isa sa binanggit ng DBM ay disallowed yung ibang budget because when we made the amendments and pag-submit natin sa DBM, hindi pala nila binago yung LEP,” he added.
Offices affected by the disallowance are the Office of the Provincial Agriculture, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Peace and Order Pogram (POP) and Provincial Mining Regulatory Board (PMRB) under the Office of the Provincial Governor, Provincial Assessor’s Office, and Provincial Information Office (PIO).
In an interview with the media, Alvarez explained that during their budget deliberations last year, amendments were introduced in the budget of the affected offices, which was approved and adopted when the appropriation ordinance was passed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan but the books from the Provincial Budget Office did not contain the amendments.
He added that what happened was clerical lapses.
“So since na discontinue yung mga budget na yun, allowed na sya gamitin ulit kaya in-appropriate natin through supplemental budget para maibalik doon sa mga departamentong apektado,” he stated.
“At ito na nga yung remedy natin para hindi maantala yung delivery ng serbisyo ng mga departments at sa kanilang mga programa at pati na rin sa mga sweldo kung saan, ang pinakaimportante nga dito ay yung sa PSWDO kung saan nanggagaling medical assistance,” he added.
