San Jose de Buenavista, Antique – The Provincial Board of Antique has approved a budget exceeding PHP2.041 billion for the year 2024. The decision was made during the board's regular session on Monday. Vice Governor Edgar Denosta, in a Tuesday interview, mentioned that the board, satisfied with the allocation plan, approved the budget on its third and final reading immediately following the second reading. The approval process included a presentation by the Local Finance Committee.
According to Philippines News Agency, Board member Emmanuel Palacios Jr., chair of the Committee on Appropriations, this increase in the budget, amounting to over PHP145 million compared to the 2023 budget of PHP1.8 billion, is attributable to a 6.23 percent rise in the province's National Tax Allocation (NTA) share, equivalent to PHP95 million. The 2024 budget allocation includes PHP847.567 million for personal services, PHP709.902 million for maintenance and other operating expenditures, PHP31.279 million for capital outlay, PHP452.293 million for statutory and contractual obligations and budgetary requirements, and PHP300,000 for financial expenses. Provincial Government Budget officer-in-charge Melly Hinosa noted that the personal services budget encompasses PHP511 million allocated for the salary increase of approximately 1,200 regular employees, fulfilling a commitment by Antique Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao to implement the Salary Standardization Law 5 before her term ends in 2025. The budget also designates five percent for the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (PDRRMF), amounting to PHP102 million.