KALIBO – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Aklan is currently reviewing the 2013 annual budget submitted by the local government of Malay, which has a jurisdiction over the famous resort-island, Boracay.

According to the provincial body, Malay’s P310-million proposed budget for 2013 is about P90 million higher than its P220-million budget last year.

The SP said the proposed budget is now being deliberated by the Provincial Local Finance Committee. 

The SP noted how the tourism revenues of Boracay Island boost the LGU’s local revenues, adding Malay’s budget approximate the combined annual budgets of five lower class municipalities of Aklan and is about 50 percent more than the proposed P209 million 2013 budget of the capital town of Kalibo. 

The SP also noted that the proposed 2013 annual budget of Malay is about equal the annual budget of the Province of Aklan nine years ago. Aklan has P1.19 billion budget for 2013.

LGU Malay is only 21 percent dependent on its share from Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of P64.94 million. Malay is made more than financially alive from its local non-tax revenues of P160.42 million and local tax revenues of P84.13 million.

Its proposed program expenditures are P158 million for general public services, P24.19 million for social services, P38.48 million for economic services, P73.73 million for other services, and P15.5 million for disaster risk reduction and mitigation.

As of February, this year, the SP said seven municipalities of Aklan have submitted their proposed 2013 annual budgets for SP review: about P59 million general fund and economic enterprise budgets of Altavas; P61.7 million general fund budget of Balete; P49.8 million general fund and economic enterprise budgets of Buruanga; P209 million general fund and economic enterprise budget of Kalibo; P58. 9 million general fund budget of Madalag; P50.5 million general funds and economic enterprise budgets of Tangalan; and that of Malay.

Also because of vibrant business environment in Boracay Island, the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Aklan has exceeded the P1 billion tax collections in the Province of Aklan.*