City sets P882.6-M for 2013 dev't fund

Bambu Estate wide entrance with zen landscape.Photo by Alberto Egot Jr

THE Davao City Government is set to allocate a total of P882,671,981 for infrastructure and non-infrastructure project that will be implemented starting next year.

Based on the budget message presented by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to the City Council for legislative authority, it showed that a large chunk of the P882.6 million development fund for 2013 will be allocated for debt servicing at P500,000,000 translating to 57 percent of the total fund allocation.

For infrastructure projects, wherein the city sets aside P167,201,525, the city identified seven general projects that are in the pipeline.

The projects, however, were not specified. Under the infrastructure projects, the city listed: road development, buildings and other structures, other public infrastructures, electrification, drainage program, bridge program, and water system as the general projects where the P167.2 million 2013 infra fund will be spent.

On the other hand, for non-infra projects, the city has set aside P215,470,456 or 24 percent of the total development fund.

The city identified four sectors where the 215.4 million non-infra fund will be spent, these are: Social Development -- P79,918,000; Economic Development—P55,938,556; Environment Management -- P31,888,400; and Development Administration -- P47,725,500.

“The budget for the non-infra projects would help address and speed up our programs on community development, education, food security, health, livelihood, resettlement, generation of employment, protection of our environment, support for MSMEs, youth and women empowerment, empowering the barangays, tourism and other socio-economic activities,” the mayor said in her budget message.
The budget for infra-projects will finance all the future projects in the three districts of Davao City that need to be addressed, the mayor said.

For the P500-million budget that the city allocated for debt servicing, the mayor said it is the best option that the city has in order to finance urgent and priority projects in all barangays in the city.
"This is to ensure that the local government is able to provide them with essential programs and projects to improve the quality of life of the Dabawenyos. The City Government shall exert its efforts in coming up with solutions to save and raise funds to augment the Debt Servicing by P113,799,169.00 before it falls due," the mayor added.

For next year, the City Hall has already completed the drafting of the proposed annual budget for 2013, which was pegged at P4.5 billion, roughly P412 million higher than this year's budget. (JOP)

Published in the Sun.Star Davao newspaper on October 14, 2012.