By Jhon Casinas The local government of Pasig City has steeply increased its 2020 budget allocation for its health services. Mayor Vico Sotto said the city government has allotted P2,548,659,185 for its health services for 2020. This will be P765,011,626 more than the P1,783,647,559 budget allocation in 2019. Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto
(KEVIN TRISTAN ESPIRITU / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) “Naalala ko pa nung kampanya, sinasabi ko na kung manalo ako magiging at least P2.4 billion ang pondo natin para sa health (I remembered during the campaign, I said that if I win, our budget for health will be at least P2.4 billion),” Sotto said in Facebook post on Saturday. “Ngunit ito na po tayo ngayon. May 2020 health care budget na P2,548,659,185. Higit pa sa pinangako natin (But now here we are. We have a P2,548,659,185 for our health care budget in 2020),” he said. Sotto explained that the budget will be used for the rehabilitation of barangay health centers, for over 300 new healthcare professionals in plantilla positions, and for the purchase of more medicines. During his State of the City Address on October 8, the 30-year-old mayor painted a positive outlook on the state of healthcare and medical services offered by the city government. Sotto highlighted his objective of making Pasig City the first local government to implement the Universal Health Care. The mayor announced over the weekend that the City Council has approved the city’s 2020 budget amounting to around P12 billion. According to a graph posted by Sotto, general public services received the biggest chunk of the 2020 budget with a 36-percent share. Out of this, Sotto said 11 percent will be going to the city’s infrastructure projects. Meanwhile, mandatory expenses will receive 21 percent of the total budget, followed by health services (14 percent), economic services (12 percent), education (10 percent), social services (4 percent), and legislative services (3 percent).