TUGUEGARAO CITY, Feb 28 (PNA) — Better and productive future is in the offing for the component cities and municipalities of the Province of Isabela.
DILG-Isabela Provincial Director Elpidio A. Dalsin reported to the city and municipal mayors of the province that their local government units, including the independent component city of Santiago, will each receive some P15M in 2015 to finance various developmental projects in their localities.
The funds will come from the Aquino Administration’s Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) Program, which has been renamed and now called the ‘Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Process (GPBP) Program’ with the DILG as the lead facilitating agency.
The mayors were in attendance during the 3rd Regular Meeting of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP)-Isabela Provincial Chapter led by Cabagan Municipal Mayor Rodolfo T. Albano, Jr. The meeting was held recently at Camp Samal, Tumauini, Isabela.
Dalsin said the project proposals of the said LGUs were submitted earlier to the Regional Poverty Reduction Action Team (RPRAT) composed of 13 participating national government agencies that include, among others, the Departments of the Interior and Local Government, Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Environment and Natural Resources, Labor and Employment and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The RPRAT, in turn, shall thoroughly review the said project proposals and submit them to the Department of Budget and Management for inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Dalsin said that once implemented, the projects identified by the LGUs are expected to help attain the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty by 2015 and the Philippine Development Plan’s goal of inclusive growth and poverty reduction.
The GPBP involves maximum participation of the Civil Society Organizations, Non-Government Organizations in the identification of local programs and projects.
Aside from the program, transparent, accountable and performing LGUs also receive financial incentives from the national government thru its Seal of Good Housekeeping Program and Performance Challenge Fund (PCF), both being implemented by the DILG.
For 2014, 17 cities and municipalities of the province have been included in the list of BUB Program or GPBP LGU-beneficiaries with each LGU to receive Php15M. (PNA)