The Iloilo City Council has approved Supplemental Budget No. 1 amounting to PHP605.3 million, with the majority of the funds earmarked for infrastructure development and salary adjustments for regular employees.

“The bigger chunk is for infrastructure projects. We have a total of about PHP390.568 million,” said Iloilo City Budget Officer Viminale Capulso, in a follow-up interview.

Among the priority projects are the Iloilo City Action and Resilience Center in Megaworld, a multipurpose building, the repair and rehabilitation of the Ker Building, a mental wellness center, medical and general services warehouses, and the Arevalo Mega Health Center.

In addition, the city has allocated over PHP20.15 million for the second tranche of salary increases for regular or plantilla employees, which will take effect in August this year.

Capulso said the funding for the supplemental budget will come from savings and a budget surplus of more than PHP577.33 million from fiscal year 2024.

This is the first time in four years that the city achieved a surplus exceeding PHP300 million, she noted.

She credited the city’s financial performance to the increased valuation of real property and the strong compliance of residents in paying their real property taxes.

“We are thankful to the people for paying their real property tax diligently. At least the city government has many sources. Taxes are the lifeblood of our government. If we have a bigger collection, we can fund more programs and projects,” she added. (PNA)