Lingayen – The local government unit (LGU) of Sta. Barbara has forged partnership with the provincial government for the implementation of Php5.76 million worth of Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) projects funded by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Agriculture (DA) for said town.

 

BUB projects that will be implemented in Sta. Barbara include: Streamlining Business Permit and Licensing System – Phase 1 and Phase 2 (Php2-M) funded by the DTI; and Infrastructure Support Projects (Php3-M) and Irrigation Projects (Php767,850) funded by the DA.

 

To jumpstart the project implementation, DTI Regional Director Florante Leal and DTI Provincial Director Peter Mangabat turned over a cheque to Mayor Carlito S. Zaplan and Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr. Cheques from the DA were also presented by Provincial Treasurer Malou Utanes during the turn-over rites held at the Ceremonial Hall in Urduja House on February 2.

 

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by the implementing partners for BUB projects was executed earlier.

 

DTI Reg’l Dir. Leal said that funding of said projects has been approved and made available, but the projects can’t be implemented due to failure of said LGU to comply a certain requirement on the Good Financial Housekeeping program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

 

Dir. Leal, however, noted that Zaplan administration inherited deficiencies of the previous town administration as reflected in audit findings.

 

A joint memorandum circular states that: “if an LGU is ineligible to implement a project, concerned national government agency or the provincial government may implement the project.”

 

It was learned that about 60 – 70 percent of the total Php60 million BUB fund allocated to DTI for BUB projects has been implemented in Pangasinan since the start of BUB implementation last year.

 

Expressing gratitude to the provincial government, Sta. Barbara Mayor Zaplan noted that a resolution from the Local Poverty Reduction Action Team (LPRAT) has properly endorsed the provincial government as implementing partner for BUB projects.

 

Under the BUB scheme, LGUs are given discretion to identify projects in the grassroots through the LPRAT.