Valenzuela City approves P2.4B budget for 2014

The Valenzuela City government has approved a budget of P2.4 billion for 2014 with the city government pledging transparency in how it will be spent.

Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian said the budget, which includes the general fund and special education fund, was enacted by the city council and approved by him last month. “This is a hefty sum, and we’re going to see to it that Valenzuelanos will feel where their taxes are going,” Gatchalian told the Inquirer.

He said that about two-thirds of the budget would come from local revenues, particularly from real property taxes and business taxes while the rest would be sourced from the city’s internal revenue allotment.

The budget will cover the usual personal services, maintenance and other operating expenses and significant capital outlays, especially for the city government’s so-called “five pillars of good governance,” or areas of focus: trade and industry, education, healthcare, job generation and housing.—Nathaniel R. Melican