In a statement on Tuesday (Nov. 23), Evangelista thanked the members of the Sangguniang Bayan for passing on third and final reading the 2022 budget of the Municipal Government which covers various expenditures intended for January 1 to December 31, 2022.
The mayor said the immediate passing of the 2022 budget is really important, especially that the whole municipality is still facing the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evangelista said the budget will answer the needed resources and expenditures to fund the Santo Tomas LGU’s interventions to mitigate the impact of the deadly virus, and to ensure the continuity and delivery of essential programs and services to all Tomasinos.
He also expressed hope that their local legislators would transmit the approved budget books' printed copy to the Mayor’s office so that other concerned offices would be apprised of the development.
Municipal Administrator lawyer Elisa Evangelista-Lapiña for her part confirmed that the issue of the P11.2 million budget intended for the purchase of eight vehicles for the members of Sangguniang Bayan was already scrapped after getting flak from the public due to the persisting pandemic.
Evangelista-Lapiña said the budget will be utilized instead to purchase additional Patient Transport Vehicles (PTVs) and other vehicles for operations of various offices such as Dangpanan Ni Tomas, among others.
On the planned Soil Analysis Laboratory, the Municipal Administrator said such proposal was being studied seriously since it entails huge funding and it was not included yet in the Annual Investment Plan of the Santo Tomas LGU for 2022.
However, she assured that the Executive Branch would find ways to outsource its funding from national agencies to make the proposal a reality. (Armando Fenequito)
Image from Santo Tomas MIO