GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/15 September) — The Provincial Development Council (PDC) of South Cotabato has endorsed around P2.4 billion worth of proposed development investments in various parts of the province next year.
South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said Monday such appropriation will cover for the implementation of the local government‘s priority programs and projects under its 2015 Annual Investment Plan (AIP).
She said the PDC, which is the province’s highest development policy-making body, unanimously adopted and approved the 2015 AIP in a recent meeting held at the provincial capitol in Koronadal City.
The PDC, which is headed by the governor, is composed of officials of the province’s 10 towns and lone city as well as leaders of peoples’ organizations and non-government organizations that are recognized or accredited by the local government.
The AIP, as defined in the guidelines on provincial/local planning and expenditure management and the budget operations manual for local government units (LGUs), is the annual slice of the local investment development program of the LGUs.
It constitutes the total resource requirements of the LGU consisting of the annual capital expenditures as well as the regular operating expenditures that will serve as basis for the preparation of the annual budget and supplemental appropriations.
Fuentes, who chairs the PDC, said the proposed AIP focuses on five development sectors that comprise social; administration; economic; technical infrastructure; environment management and disaster risk reduction/climate change adaptation (DRR/CCA).
She said the social development sector received the biggest budget with P816.563 million or 34 percent, followed by technical infrastructure with P731.793 million or 31 percent, development administration with P599.717 million or 25 percent, economic development with P143.324 million or six percent, environment management and DRR/CCA with P95.205 million or five percent.
“These are investments that are deemed vital in terms of the delivery of various basic services to our constituents and in addressing the development needs of our remote and marginalized areas,” Fuentes said in a statement.
The governor said the bulk of the proposed AIP or around P2.274 billion constitute the funding for the local government’s operations and implementation of its programs, projects and related activities.
A total of P64.219 million was allotted for the calamity fund, P48 million for the special education fund and P5.137 million for the provincial government’s assistance to national government agencies, she said.
Fuentes said the funding for the 2015 AIP will be drawn from the local government’s general fund, local development fund, calamity fund and special education fund.
She said the province’s projected income for next year was set at around P1.284 billion, Internal Revenue Allotment or IRA share of P1.078 billion and P215.651 in other local revenues. (MindaNews)
