Health, education and social welfare services remain the top priorities of the Makati City government with a combined budget allocation of P8.4 billion for the year, up by 4.4 percent than last year.
Mayor Abigail Binay said around half of the city’s total budget for the year has been allotted to the three components of the Social Development Sector, one of the seven sectors categorizing the services and functions of the city government.
“We continue to enhance our programs and services which are most crucial to human development and social progress. By providing Makatizens free access to quality education and responsive health and social services, we empower them to attain their fullest potential so that they can actively take part in nation-building,” said Binay.
She expressed confidence that major projects slated for the year will be fully implemented, with the city’s total revenue collections reaching almost P8.6 billion as of February.
“Our constituents can rest assured that we are committed to providing them the best services we can afford,” said Binay.
Acting City Treasurer Jesusa Cuneta said actual revenues from Business Tax reached P4.25 billion, or 48 percent of annual target, while Real Property Tax raked in P3.69 billion, achieving 80 percent of target for the year.
Major health initiatives of the city include the Yellow Card comprehensive health insurance program, which covers the free medicines program, free outpatient services and subsidized hospitalization at Ospital ng Makati and partner-health providers.
For education, the city boasts of Project FREE (Free Relevant and Excellent Education), which provides brand new school uniforms, black shoes and rubber shoes, and essential school supplies to public schoolchildren of Makati.
Aside from its highly popular benefits for the elderly, such as cash gifts, free movies and birthday cakes, the city government also looks after the welfare of persons with disability, solo parents, women and children, and other disadvantaged groups through various programs.
Of the three sub-sectors under Social Development, Health has the biggest budget with almost P4.1 billion, followed by Education with P2.8 billion, and Social Welfare with P1.5 billion. The said amounts cover expenditures for personal services (salaries and benefits), maintenance and other operating expenses, financial expenses, and capital outlay.
For the other six sectors, the other half of the budget is divided as follows: Administrative, almost P4.3 billion (21.68 percent share); Protective Services, P1.8 billion (10.89 percent); Infrastructure Development, P925.66 million (5.55 percent); Environment Management, P893.4 million (5.35 percent); Finance Management, P787.89 million (4.72 percent); and Economic Development, P222.76 million (1.33 percent).
