People participation necessary

The chief executive of the local government unit is required to submit, on or before Oct. 16 of every year, the executive budget to the sanggunian for review, otherwise he could be administratively sanctioned.

There is a new process in the preparation of a budget. This is known as grassroots participatory budgeting (GPB). Before this, there was bottom-up budgeting (BUB). Regardless of how we call the process, it boils down to one thing—the participation of the people in the preparation of the budget.

I am more inclined to abide by the provisions of the Local Government Code of 1991 on budget processing.  Article 1 of the code’s Chapter III explicitly provides detailed guidelines on how to prepare the executive budget. If GPB and BUB stress participatory and accountable governance, poverty reduction and local development, the code equally emphasizes the same.

Section 107 of the code provides that the composition of the local development council should include “representatives of non-governmental organizations operating in the barangay who shall constitute not less than one-fourth (1/4) of the members of the fully organized council.” The council is responsible for the formulation of the local development plan, the local development investment program, and the annual investment program. Approval by the sanggunian of these local development documents is necessary to operationalize the executive budget.

Besides, the budget hearings conducted by the sanggunian should be open to the public, members of the accredited NGOs, civil society and the private sector. This should ensure that the programs, projects and activities proposed in the local development plans, as well as the poverty reduction programs, are incorporated in the budget.

During the hearings, the sanggunian may have many questions about the executive budget, but two are considered primordial: Is the budget consistent with the local development plans, particularly the annual investment program? Is the budget sufficient for the delivery of basic services and maintenance of facilities enumerated under Section 17 of the code?

Are these provisions of the local government code comparable with the requirements of the GPB process? Just asking.

REGINALD B. TAMAYO, assistant city council secretary, Marikina City