Home News Cagayan long-term plan to be ‘updated’ again

Cagayan long-term plan to be ‘updated’ again

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Philippines- Cagayan planning and development chief told Sangguniang Panlalawigan members their office will have to update the province’s medium term plan in crafting the 2019 budget.

“Actually sir, [on the] first week of February we will be having a meeting again with municipal engineers. I initiated a joint meeting of all planning officers and engineers because we really have to do the updating again,” Provincial Planning and Development Officer (PPDO) Elisa Umoso said in a regular session on Wednesday, January 10.

The board earlier approved on October 2017 a Provincial Development and Investment Plan (PDIP) that covered 2017-2022. The PDIP is a medium term plan used as basis for annual plans and budgets.

In an earlier committee hearing, the board learned the 2018 annual plan and budget were based on another updated PDIP which the SP has yet to approve. (READ: Cagayan SP finance committee: 2018 AIP, budget not based on approved plan)

Yet, Umoso said the PDIP needs to be updated in a “yearly basis” because of changes in sources of available funds such as the Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces road improvements and available retained earnings.

“Nag-aadjust din po yung ating mga pangangailangan kada project…The purpose why we have to update is all technical working groups must have to prepare their presentations during the sectoral committee meetings. Meron po tayong Provincial Development Council (PDC) resolutions where different committees were organized”, she explained.

Further, Umoso said the updated PDIP also followed a new format from the budget department. She also stated the updating will not affect the 2018 budget.

Concerns raised

Several board members raised concerns on the frequent updating of the PDIP.

Board Member Perla Tumaliuan said the updating is another “work to be done” for the board which may further delay future budget discussions.

“We work no it but do not tell us now after some time that you need to update these things because this will further repeat history. Sasabihin nyo na naman sa amin idi-delay po namin ito,” she said. (READ: TIMELINE: The delayed approval of Cagayan’s 2017 budget)

The board member added, “Hindi po monopoly ito. We have the sanggunian [and] we have the executive, we have to put our acts together in order for us to produce kung anuman [ang] projects [at] programs. Respect what we do, we will respect what you want.”

Meanwhile, the board also noticed some “inconsistencies and questions” on the current PDIP, such items that are of one project but is, they said, “spliced to so many components.”

Ex-officio Board Member Maila Ting-Que said “sound budgeting practice” should have been done, alleging that the PPDO has “a problem with planning.”

She noted this on the zeroed budget of some district hospitals, which Umoso said were already covered by the health department. Ting-Que added that the planning group should have not deleted the said funds regardless if DOH will for a counterpart because these will later go to savings.

Ting-Que also said the PPDO should have foreseen these “problems” in all “possible angles.”

She also said board members should have been included in budget planning through an executive-legislative agenda because they are tasked to represent their constituents or districts.

The board must first tackle and approve the PDIP before discussing and approving the annual plan and budget. Northernforum.net

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