P232-M Budget Will Hog Aguilar’s Mayor SOMA

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza

AGUILAR, Pangasinan – The people of this thriving central Pangasinan town will be witnessing on January 27’s State of the Municipality Address (SOMA) how their mayor will be utilizing this year’s P232, 276, 019,00 general fund and economic enterprises’ budget allocated to him by their elected members of the legislature.

Mayor Roldan Sagles told Northern Watch Newspaper that the annual budget for this year is P60, 456, 411.00 or 35.70% higher than the 2021 appropriation

“The estimated total receipts for  the 2022 General Fund is P229, 812, 015,00 inclusive of P222, 098, 015,00 National Tax Allotment (NAT). The NTA accounts 96. 64% of the total estimated receipts. For Economic Enterprises the estimated total recipts is P2,460,000.00,” the Mayor said. 

Sagles forgoes his re-election bid in favor of his spouse’s Vil in this year’s poll.

MAYOR AND HIS HEIR APPARENT. Aguilar, Pangasinan Mayor Roldan "Boyet" Sagles (2nd from right front row, photo) is seen besides wife's Vil (2nd from left) in this picture with their constituents. Vil substituted the Mayor as candidate for this year's municipal mayoralty election.

Economic Enterprise is where the local government unit derives local revenues like those in the public market and slaughterhouse.

The annual allocation for this year was boosted by the Mandanas Ruling of the Supreme Court that gives P1.083 trillion this year to local government units all over the country.

 Sagles told earlier this writer that this sixteen villages’ town will tremendously benefit because of the Mandanas Doctrine especially the expansion of the twenty percent (20%) development fund where he could build more infrastructure projects this year.

In his two and a half year stint as first term Chief Executive, he procured through public funds new dump truck, new firetruck, new ambulance, and constructed new municipal warehouse, and solar street lights, P30 million evacuation center in Barangay Buer, newly designed plaza, more farm to market roads, Corona Virus Disease-19 building, and distribution late this year of 16 Mitsubishi utility vans to each of the sixteen barangays.

“I could enjoy it because my (first) term will end on June next year,” he said about the stout annual budget this year of the rustic town he and his department heads deliberated last year.

The total amount appropriated for Fiscal Year 2022 includes reserves for the creative of plantilla and for the important functions, services, and facilities to be devolved by the national government to the municipality in the amount of P2,000,000.00 and P3,576,324.10, respectively.

“In the proposed budget, provisions of the statutory and contractual obligatory have been made such as the 20%. Development Fund, 5% Local Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Fund (LDRRMF) Employee Benefits, Assistance to Barangay Funds for Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities and Fund for Local Council for the Protection of Children,” he cited.

The total proposed appropriation for Personnel Services is P61, 423, 309.03 and P1,166. 661.12 for General Fund and Economic Enterprises, respectively. This amount represents the expenditures covering the salaries of regular employees including their benefits and allowances.

For Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, he added, the appraised amount is P67, 671,178.12 and P1, 243, 338.88 for General Fund and Economic Enterprises, respectively. And for Capital Outlay the total approved amount is P7,000,000.00 and P50,000.00 for General Fund and Economic Enterprises, respectively.