BACOLOD City Greg Gasataya is now eyeing a P4.75 billion annual budget for 2026.
Gasataya said the proposed budget is about P350 million higher than this year’s budget, which is P4.4 billion.
He said he will submit the proposed budget to the City Council this week.
The mayor noted that part of its priority projects are the increase for the city scholars, the implementation of the Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP), and the mandatory expenses of the city.
Gasataya said the increase is very minimal because they only based it on the National Tax Allotment (NTA, formerly Internal Revenue Allotment) share of the city from the National Government.
“There is an annual increase (NTA) and as to the local sources, it’s still the same since we did not increase our taxes,” he said.
He added that this year’s NTA share of Bacolod reached P2,244,573,982.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that he will submit the province’s 2026 proposed budget to the Provincial Board this week.
“I will announce it after submitting it to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan because in fairness to them, they should be the first to know,” he said.
The governor noted that in 2026, they will prioritize the health program in the province.
“We’re really working on getting the tertiary level (accreditation) for the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Silay, and level 2 for the Cadiz District Hospital so I’m really pushing and encouraging our heads especially, in hospitals department, to really work hard for the accreditation of the hospitals,” Lacson said.
He said he will also talk to the province’s medical scholars that when they graduate and pass the board examination, they should do their residency in TLJPH because it’s one of the requirements for a Level 3 accreditation.
The governor said Level 3 hospital is a highly specialized facility, equipped to provide the most comprehensive medical services, including residency training, and advanced surgical care, among others. (MAP)
