Health, Agriculture, Incentive Bonus Top La Trinidad ‘22 Budget

January 9, 2022 Provincial

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Amid the continuing challenges brought by Covid-19, improvement of health care system, agriculture development and incentive bonuses of barangay health care workers-tanods and members of Sangguniang Kabataan (KS), topped the list on the P600-M annual budget of this capital town, according to Mayor Romeo Salda.
Mayor Salda expressed the support of the municipal council headed by Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan for passing the budget ordinance on time.
Salda emphasized that the budget was equally shared among the departments based from their submitted development plans. Salda is optimistic that it will be a vibrant year amid challenge on the pandemic.
”We hope and pray that Covid-19 Omicron variant will not hit us, although we are always ready ,” said Salda, adding that local isolation facilities are in placed. Salda pointed that his town’s economy is “slowly” catching up from the losses due to the pandemic, going to its third year.
The mayor acknowledged the vital role demonstrated by frontliners and barangay officials and their community in combatting covid. Salda reported a significant support were extended to local farmers through its municipal agriculture office.
He thanked the support extended by DA especially its “Plant,Plant,Plant” providing seedlings and farm inputs. Other business operations, resto bars remained closed following AITF orders. The local chief executive also expressed his town’s gratitude to several nongovernment organizations and countless kind-hearted individual and groups for their support.
To preserve and maintain peace and order, the local government also infused an estimated P9 million for its police force. Marked development projects in 2021 include millions worth irrigation facilities at the Strawberry Fields, Km. 4 and solar irrigation system for cut flower farmers in Barangay Alno, among others.
Climate Change Mitigation – To mitigate flooding especially at strawberry farm (fields) and the at the Balili River, funds were sourced (DPWH) for the construction of drainage systems.
Salda thanked the Regional Development Council (RDC) for its action. He revealed that actually, HEDCOR made the feasibility study on the mitigation on Balili.
On the part of Vice Mayor Awingan, he also attributed the increase of the capital town’s budget through the Mandanas ruling which their share from the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) went up by 20 percent.
With the increase of budget ,Vice Mayor Awingan said will fund developmental, social infrastructure projects and activities for the youth- and barangay courts,among others.
Awingan said since we are still in pandemic, more projects to addressing the problem like support to our municipal disaster risk reduction office.
He also attributed the budget increase from revenue collection and other sources.
Awingan also recognized the “perseverance and sacrifices demonstrated by all our frontliners barangay officials/health, workers, tanods, local police and countless volunteers. “
“Saan nga mabayadan ti kuarta or any material thing dagiti saksripisyo da, isu nga agpasalamat tayo kada kuada, Dios ti mangsubalit,” Awingan said, emphasizing the local government action by providing them benefits.
Holistic Approach :Agriculture-Farming Programs/Activities Awingan has maintained that years, the municipal government has been supportive to the plight of local farmers, however, marketing and distribution of produce remain a “big” challenge.
The vice mayor suggested, future programs and activities related to agriculture-farming should be done holistically.
Primo Agatep/ABN