PIA-8 Reveals P5-B Payable from LGUs’ IRA Share

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, August 16, (PIA) -– Local government units may now experienced little relief of their worries in the reduction of their Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) in 2012 as the regional director of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Region 8 revealed that local government units has still a collectible of P5-B in IRA shares from the national government.

PIA-8 Regional Director Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu informed the public live on Tuesday in the PIA regular radio program “Suruswerte ha PIA” that the P5-B in IRA share due to LGUs was part of the P20-B short in IRA releases due to LGUs during the Estrada presidency that was the subject in the Mandanas vs Ermita case.

She added that the 75% of the collectible IRA was paid during the Arroyo presidency through a Land Bank-facilitated monetization scheme charged to the national government treasury in seven years.

It was learned that 50 members of the League of Provinces of the Philippines have consolidated their positions in its 19th general assembly at the Century Park Hotel where various options were raised in order to avert the reduction in their IRA for 2012 which is expected to result in reduced social welfare spending.

It was further learned that members of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) trooped to Malacañang Palace for a brief dialogue with President Noynoy Aquino last August 7, 2011 and insisted upon the President the P5 billion collectible in IRA due to LGUs.

She further said that President Benigno S. Aquino pledged to consider the idea of the governor submitted in his office and informed them soon if it is feasible or not the soonest time.

There was even a group of mayors in Eastern Visayas who would like to write to President Aquino asking to defer the implementation in the reduction of IRA for LGUs scheduled for next year.

She emphasized that the reduction in IRA of LGUs in 2012 was not an idea of President Aquino or an idea of DBM Secretary Abad but it came out due to the computation of the BIR.

Meanwhile, DBM Regional Director Imelda Laceras urged the local officials in the region to submit their positions regarding the impending cut in their IRA for 2012 so they may be clarified and could further ask assistance for policymakers of the country to consider their stand on the issue.

Director Laceras was the guest on August 16 episode of Suruswerte ha PIA where she explained thoroughly the reasons behind the cut of IRA in LGU in 2012. (PIA 8)

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Brgy. Officials Undergo Budgeting Training – Ritz Tower Hotel

BORONGAN CITY, Eastern Samar, Aug. 16 (PIA)– The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Regional Office No. VIII through Regional Director Imelda C. Laceras in coordination with the Eastern Samar Association of Local Budget Officer (ESALBO) conducted a two-day Training Workshop on the Budget Operations Manual for Barangays (BOMB) in one city and 18 municipalities in Eastern Samar.

The 18 municipalities are: Guiuan, Mercedes, Salcedo, Lawaan, Balangiga, Giporlos, Quinapondan, Gen. Mac-Arthur, Hernani, Llorente, San-Julian, Sulat, Dolores, Maslog, Oras, Jipapad, San-Policarpo and Arteche and Borongan City.

The training-workshop started on June 27 to August 16, 2011.

This training workshop is pursuant to Local Budget Circular No. 82 dated October 18, 2006.

The Training Workshop focused on the procedures in connecting the plan to the budget and introduces to the barangay officials the concept of a policy driven and output or performance-based Barangay budget.

A workshop followed after the lecture-discussion on the Annual Investment Plan (AIP) preparation to appreciate the value of connecting the plan to the budget and the forms in the Barangay Budget Process.

The topics discussed were: Overview of Budget Operations, Manual for Barangays, Connecting Plans to Budget, AIP preparation, Budget preparation, AIP and Budget Operations, Budget Authorization, Budget Review, Budget Execution and Budget Accountability.

In an interview with PIA, Mrs. Eleanor D. Lombendencio, Supervising Administrative Officer of the Provincial Budget Office, said that there were at least three participants for every barangay in a municipality except for the City of Borongan with five participants.

The participants are Brgy. Chairman, Brgy. Treasurer, Brgy. Secretary, Sangguniang Barangay – Chairman, Committee on Finance and Appropriations and SK Chairman.

Mrs. Lombendencio further said, that the training is in response to the need for capability enhancement to the new set of Barangay officials who assumed office last December 2010.

Meanwhile, there are still four municipalities that will conduct the said training workshop.

According to Mrs. Luz Labro, Asst. Provincial Budget Officer, the municipalities of Taft and Can-avid will be held at the Ritz Tower Hotel in Tacloban City on August 25-27, 2011 and the municipalities of Maydolong and Balangkayan will be held in Maydolong on August 31 to September 01, 2011. (SCandido/ PIA 8-E Samar)

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IC, DOF Hold Micro-insurance Orientation at Leyte Park Hotel

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Aug. 15 (PIA) – In its recognition of the need to provide appropriate risk protection to the informal and low-income sectors, the Insurance Commission (IC) together with the Department of Finance (DOF) is currently implementing various initiatives on Microinsurance.

These initiatives are being supported by some microinsurance projects which are under the Asian Development Bank-Japan Fund for Proverty Reduction which is the Developing Microinsurance Project, and the German International Cooperative which is the Microinsurance Innovations Program for Social Security.

To strongly push for a wide acceptance of Microinsurance among the informal and low income sectors, a microinsurance literacy campaign will be conducted, and part of that campaign is the conduct of a three-day Training on Microinsurance Advocacy and half-day Orientation Seminars on Microinsurance in Tacloban City.

The Training on Microinsurance Advocacy, which only has 40 slots, will be conducted on September 19-21, 2011, while the Microinsurance Orientation Seminar for local government units and regional government personnel will be held on September 22, 2011. Both activities will be held at the Leyte Park Hotel, Magsaysay, Blvd., Tacloban City.

The Training on Microinsurance Advocacy aims to develop advocate-partners in promoting microinsurance among key stakeholders while the Orientation Seminars shall provide basic information on the current initiatives on microinsurance and the roles of government, the private sector and development partners in promoting microinsurance.

For confirmation in the attendance of the Orientation and Training, one may contact Ms. Ma. Lourdes L. Ramos at Cel No. 0915-280-6838 or Ms. April Daisy A. Lopez at Cel No. 0918-200-9049 of the Public Assistance & Information Division of the Information Commission or one may call telephone number (02) 4041758 or through email at pubassist@insurance.gov.ph.

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