By CESAR JOLITO III

Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya is proposing a P4.75-billion annual budget for Bacolod City in 2026 — about P350 million higher than this year’s P4.4-billion allocation.

Gasataya said he will submit the proposed 2026 executive budget to the city council this week for deliberation and approval.

He explained that the modest increase in the city’s annual spending plan is primarily driven by the growth in Bacolod’s National Tax Allotment (NTA), formerly known as the Internal Revenue Allotment, from the national government.

“There is an annual increase in the NTA, and as to our local sources, it’s still the same since we did not increase our taxes,” Gasataya said.

For 2025, Bacolod’s NTA share reached P2.24 billion.

The mayor said next year’s budget will focus on several key priorities — expanding the city scholarship program, sustaining the Bacolod City Comprehensive Health Program (BacCHP), and meeting mandatory operational expenses.

“The increase is very minimal because we based it mainly on our NTA share,” Gasataya added.

Hospital upgrade

Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said he will also submit the province’s proposed 2026 budget to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan this week.

Lacson said the province will prioritize the health sector, particularly the upgrading of provincial hospitals to meet higher accreditation standards.

“We’re really working on getting the tertiary level accreditation for the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital [TLJPH] in Silay and Level 2 for the Cadiz District Hospital,” Lacson said.

He added that he has been urging provincial medical scholars to complete their residency at TLJPH to help the hospital meet the requirements for Level 3 status — a designation reserved for highly specialized medical institutions that provide advanced surgical and residency training programs.

“We need to strengthen our hospital system to ensure that Negrenses have access to quality healthcare within the province,” Lacson emphasized./CJ, WDJ