PGLU Readies 2020 Annual Budget

By: Hiram Nephi A. Costales, GPC-PBO

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PGLU’s Executive Budget for CY 2020 works on its final phase preparatory for its enactment. The different departments and district hospitals have successfully submitted their budget proposals and were consolidated by the Local Finance Committee to finalize the Budget for CY 2020.

Consolidated budget indicates that there is a net total increase of Php31,086,527.00 in the Personal Services and Maintenance and Php 50,904,148.00 for Other Operating Expenditure. The increase in the proposed CY 2020 Budget is a result of various needs of offices to achieve their mandates, mission, and vision.

Additional Personnel for offices like the Office of the Governor Unit – Environment and Natural Resources will enable them to embrace all the implementation of their office Program, Projects and Activities (PPAs). The increase in the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenditure of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan by 20% will help the different Board Members to fully implement the programs of their different Committees.

Aside from the increases in the various departments, some offices joined forces in order to fully align their PPAs to achieve better outputs and monitoring of activities for the offices. Two of which is the merging of the office of the Provincial Population and the Provincial Health Offices, and bringing the Human Resource and Management Unit to be one with the office of the Provincial Administrator.

The Creation of the Provincial Tourism Office also strengthens the vision of the province to promote tourism alongside with the Provincial Information Office which will take over the mandate of the Media and Public Information Unit of the Office of the Governor.

With the alignment of the budget to the plans of each office, the Budget Office will serve as a link to monitor the plans of the offices in terms of financial accomplishments. The accountability of each office will be valued in terms of their utilization of their budget in connection with their physical performance or the output they will accomplish.

To position La Union as the Heart of Agri-Tourism in Northern Luzon by 2025, the budget is essential in the implementation of the different PPAs of the PGLU offices and District Hospitals.

With the 2019 Budget Performance, the province ended with an average of 94.24% utilization rate on its financial performance for Personal Services and 87.12% utilization rate for its financial performance for Maintenance and Operating Expenditures.

With the commitment to support the strategic plans of the PGLU, ensured funding through approved appropriations is included in the Local Expenditure Plan for CY 2020 for the different Strategic PPAs of the offices and hospitals were ensured. It is expected for the offices and hospitals to make these strategic PPAs as lead measures for offices to see their contribution for the vision and mission of the Province of La Union.