By Lydia C. Pendon
ILOILO CITY, Dec. 3 (PNA) — The city council here has unanimously approved the annual executive budget of the General Fund for 2015 amounting P1,696,399,917 during its regular session last December 2, 2015.
The executive budget covers personal services such as the full appropriation for Magna Carta of Health Workers covering 25 percent of their basic salary, and the full appropriation for Mandatory Optional Retirees as submitted by the HRMO.
City councilor Eduardo Penaredondo, chairman of the SP Committee on Appropriations, said the 2015 budget will also cover maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) such as 11 months appropriations for job hires and honorarium for based employees instead of the previous eight months appropriation.
Penaredondo said the other operating expenses include office supplies for the new Office of Information Technology and additional expenses charged to festivities such as the Philippine Open International Taekwondo Championship and additional fund for the Dinagyang 2015 making an P8 million budget in 2015.
Capital outlay for land transportation equipment and IT equipment and special purpose appropriations including full provision for all contractual obligations such as electricity, water, telephone, internet and garbage collection and disposal, full provision for the statutory and mandatory obligations, reserve for election purposes, 12 months appropriation for additional allowances of national government officials and employees, fund for APEC Summit, LGU counterpart for livelihood project, financial contribution to the MIGEDC, Muslim Affairs annual mobilization fund, additional fund for personnel benefits fund, decrease in beneficiary of Medicare sa Masa, and hosting of the 2015 Urban Environmental Summit.
Penaredondo also said that the city council approved the annual budget of the Local Economic Enterprise Office (LEEO) in the amount of P71.2 million as a separate fund from the annual executive budget. (PNA)