THE Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Bohol last Friday has passed the annual budget for fiscal year 2012 to the tune of P1,387,922,023, higher than this year’s (2011) of P1,237,885,520, but with zero capital outlay, Provincial Board Member Abeleon Damalerio said in his presentation of the proposed appropriation measure. The zero allocation for the capital outlay as can be gleaned from Page three of the nine-page appropriation ordinance is an offshoot of the reduction of the Internal Revenue Allocation (IRA) share of about 5%, said board member Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez. The approval of the appropriation measure appeared to be railroaded as the deliberation did not take sometime as it used to be and neither that it passed through the three-reading rule in the SP house rules in passing an ordinance. Nobody from among the board members stood up and moved for the exception in passing the ordinance to satisfy the procedural purposes, an observer said.

Provincial Ordinance No. 020-2011 is entitled, “Authorizing the Annual Budget of the Provincial Government of Bohol for fiscal year 2012 in the total amount of PhP1,387,922,023 covering the various expenditures for the operation of the Provincial Government for Fiscal Year 2012 and appropriating the Necessary Funds For the Purpose,” sponsored by Lopez, and co-sponsored by Board Members Romulo Cepedoza, Godofreda Tirol, Damalerio, and Vice-Gov. Concepcion Lim. As usual, the IRA for 2012 amounting to P1,010,825,023, lower than this year (2011) P1,056,375,520 is the most reliable sources of income as provided under section 2 of the Ordinance. Other sources include Operating and Other Miscellaneous Revenue, PhP157,300,000; Tax Revenue, PhP49,322,000; Extra Ordinary Receipts, PhP13,000,000; Other Receipts, PhP6,875,000; and External Source from (PCSO.Lotto Share), PhP600,000. Section 3 of the ordinance provides the use of these funds. Personnel services (salaries/wages) eat up most of the allocation pie with PhP481,466,113. An amount of PhP337,182,038 is for Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) followed by Budgetary Requirements, PhP295,868,800; and Non-Office and Other Special Purposes, PhP273,405,072.

The 20% development fund derived from the IRA (20% of IRA) for 2012 is amounted to PhP202,165,004.60, a little bit lower than this year (2011) of PHP203,045,679. The pork barrel or the PDIP for the vice-governor, vice-governor and board members is amounted to a total of PhP41,100,000, the same amount from this year (2011). It was not known how would the amount be divided among the governor, vice-governor and how much for each board member. Calamity fund of the province for next year is amounted to a total of PhP60,004,957 and for the aid to the barangays, PhP5,545,000 plus another equal amount is being allocated from the 20% development fund that would total to PhP10,000 for each barangay, the source said. Debt servicing of the province is pegged at P28,153,838 while the inter-government aid, P6,185,606. Other expenditures enumerated by the measure include Gender and Development program, P36,406,500; Bohol Crisis Intervention Center (BCIC) operation, P1,550,000; Bohol Stimulation Therapeutic Activity Center (STAC), P2,000,000; Peace and Order, P16,546,842; Other Special Purpose, P19,616,124; and Comprehensive Hospitals Modernization Program, P150,000,000. (RVO)