A claim made by a TESDA regional official that Cagayan de Oro City got more than Metro Manila cities from the national government’s Bayanihan Grant intended to help local governments respond to the COVID-19 needs context.
Allocations for three cities in the National Capital Region—Quezon City, Manila and Caloocan—are bigger than Cagayan de Oro’s, contrary to the claim of Rafael Abrogar II, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Region 12 director.
Abrogar said in his April 27 Facebook post:
Here is DBM Circular no. 125 - Guidelines on the Release and Utilization of the Bayanihan Grant to Cities and Municipalities.
The CDO fund is BIGGER than the allocation of cities in the National Capital Region.
Alang sa kasayuran sa tanan (For your information)
The Department of Budget and Management circular Abrogar used as basis for his post showed that Cagayan de Oro, a city in northern Mindanao, was allotted P156.28 million, less than Quezon City’s P479.12 million, Manila’s P292.6 million and Caloocan City’s P265.36 million.
The three Metro Manila cities have populations of 1.58 million to 2.94 million compared to Cagayan de Oro’s 675,950, according to the 2015 census.
While Metro Manila’s 13 other cities received sums smaller than Cagayan de Oro, only two cities—Taguig and Pasig—have populations bigger than the northern Mindanao city.
Issued on April 7, DBM Circular no. 125 implemented President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to augment the national government’s allocations to local government units to help them address the COVID-19 emergency.
These came from savings resulting from the discontinuance of certain appropriated programs, projects or activities of agencies of the executive department and unobligated allotments in the 2019 and 2020 national budgets.
Congress on March 23 approved Republic Act No. 11469, the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, granting the president emergency powers for three months to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, including the authority to realign the budget.
The DBM circular said the grants released to cities and towns are equivalent to their one-month share in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for this year.
The IRA represents the share of local governments in national internal revenue taxes such as income tax, estate and donor's taxes, value-added tax, other percentage taxes, excise taxes and documentary stamp taxes.
The 2020 IRA took into account the 2015 census of population and the 2001 Master List of Land Area certified by the Land Management Bureau, among others.
DBM Circular 125 restricts the use of the Bayanihan Grant to social amelioration for communities and recovery of areas, sectors and industries severely affected by the crisis. Local governments may only use the money while the state of calamity declared March 16 by Duterte through Proclamation No. 929 remains in force.
Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno ordered a community quarantine on March 19. The city will be under general community quarantine starting May 1, which will allow the gradual return of the workforce in certain sectors.
As of April 28, Cagayan de Oro has 12 confirmed COVID-19 cases, five deaths and 441 suspects.
The city government said it has spent a total of P159.99 million for its COVID-19 response, including P96.75 million in relief goods, P16.32 million in financial assistance and P5.86 million in the purchase of personal protective equipment.
References
Abrogar, R. [rafaabrogar]. (2020, April 27). Here is DBM Circular no. 125 - Guidelines on the Release and Utilization of the Bayanihan Grant to Cities and Municipalities. The CDO fund is BIGGER than the allocation of cities in the National Capital Region. Alang sa kasayuran sa tanan [Facebook status update]. Retrieved from https://www.facebook.com/rafaabrogar/posts/3151426798255869
Bayanihan to Heal as One Act 2020. Republic Act 11469. Retrieved from https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2020/03mar/20200324-RA-11469-RRD.pdf
Bureau of Internal Revenue. (n.d.). NIRC outline. Retrieved from https://www.bir.gov.ph/index.php/tax-code.html
Cagayan de Oro has spent P159.99 M for Covid-19 response. (2020, April 28). Retrieved from http://www.cdodev.com/2020/04/28/cagayan-de-oro-has-spent-p159-99-m-for-covid-19-response/
Categories of workers allowed during General Community Quarantine starting May 1, 2020. (2020, April 24). Retrieved from http://www.cdodev.com/2020/04/24/categories-of-workers-allowed-during-general-community-quarantine-starting-may-1-2020/
Department of Budget and Management. (2019, May 15). Local Budget Memorandum No. 78. Retrieved from https://www.dbm.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/Issuances/2019/Local-Budget-Memorandum/Local-Budget-Memorandum-No-78.pdf
Department of Budget and Management. (2020, April 7). Local Budget Circular No. 125. Retrieved from https://www.dbm.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/Issuances/2020/Local-Budget-Circular/LOCAL-BUDGET-CIRCULAR-NO-125.pdf
Duterte, R. (2020, April 23). Talk to the people of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Retrieved from https://pcoo.gov.ph/presidential-speech/talk-to-the-people-of-president-rodrigo-roa-duterte-on-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-3/
Health watch: Latest COVID-19 briefer in Northern Mindanao as of April 28, 2020. (2020, April 28). Retrieved from http://www.cdodev.com/2020/04/28/health-watch-latest-covid-19-briefer-in-northern-mindanao-as-of-april-28-2020/
Orias, P. (2020, April 21). No decision yet on Oro's community quarantine duration. SunStar Cagayan de Oro. Retrieved from https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1853421/Cagayan-De-Oro/Local-News/No-decision-yet-on-Oros-community-quarantine-duration
Proclamation No. 929 s. 2020. (2020, March 16). Retrieved from https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2020/03/16/proclamation-no-929-s-2020/
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