Chiz: Provide more funds to LGUs

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Francis Escudero has recommended to the national government to provide more funds to local government units (LGUs) after the administration’s economic managers predict a decrease in local revenues in 2012. 

Escudero said the national government should tap unused funds or savings to augment the budget of LGUs to avoid disruption of public services. 

He said the expected P13-billion gap in the internal revenue allotment (IRA) can also be sourced from possible revenues to be generated for next year’s unprogrammed funds.

Escudero noted Budget Secretary Butch Abad’s statement in the budget hearings this week that the slash is due to the “sharp decrease in revenues in 2009 as a result of the global economic crisis and revenue-eroding measures passed at that time.” 

The proposed IRA for fiscal year 2012 is P273 billion, down from P287 billion in 2011.