The Office of the SAMAHAN Treasurer presented a total budget of P864,223 for the first semester of the academic year 2023 – 2024, less than the previous semester’s budget, which nearly reached one million.

The budget for this semester accumulated to P778,900 from 7789 enrollees (P100 SAMAHAN fee from each student) and a forwarding balance of P85,323, which was already allocated to the cluster to which it belonged from the previous semester.

Unlike last semester’s budget allocation, computations for the budget of some clusters resulted in a negative net total balance, specifically the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA) and the Social Sciences (SS), which tallied a negative net in all three base budgets of P18,000, P15,000, and P10,000. Deductions to each cluster’s budget were due to cash advances that were used in summer camps.

Except for Natural Science and Mathematics and the School of Nursing, the budgets for the remaining clusters varied from less than P100  to P8,000 at most. 

A base budget of P15,000 was approved for the clusters after a majority vote of 5 out of 9. A total of P267,796 was distributed to the nine different clusters, with the School of Nursing having the largest portion of the budget, amounting to P44,003.48, while SEA had a net total balance of -3,974.32 and the SS had -8,069.33 

Clusters with a negative total balance were given two options either to return the amount they borrowed from SAMAHAN or to deduct the amount from their second semester budget.

Meanwhile, some of the SAMAHAN offices and departments’ initial planned budgets were approved for a lower amount than they had proposed.  

The offices and departments continue to hold the largest chunk of the budget and have been allotted P336,300 in this semester’s account, a fall of over P10,000 from last semester’s budget.

OST All-Out: Student Service and Assistance, a new addition to SAMAHAN Projects, was granted an amount of P35,000, planning to give free ink and papers to every Atenean and to give scholarship allowances and fees like assistance to different students.

Two major SAMAHAN events, the BAMYC Mid-year Conference and the Magis Gala, were granted an amount of P200,127 and P40,000, respectively.

The Council of Class Presidents was granted P20,000, lower than their usual budget, as they still have two months and two weeks to complete their term and have not yet elected their new officers.

Delayed budget hearing due to withholding tax orientation

The SAMAHAN Budget Hearing was held on September 30, 2023, a one-month delay in their usual schedule for the budgeting hearing. SAMAHAN Treasures Michelle Cunanan explained that this was due to the Withholding Tax Orientation, which was not in the previous terms.

“We had to adjust our operations and how we will prepare for our budget proposal and our liquidation reports, prepare for CUARTA (Cash Utilization and Accountability Report for Treasurers and Auditors) and all the adjustments to fiscal policies, if there are any,”  Cunanan stated.

She also stated that they had to adjust to the transition to incorporating the withholding tax and informing the officers of the Withholding Tax or Form 2307.

With this, Cunanan reminded that the budget processing will be done next week, and cash advances will take two to three weeks for the finance office to process. The office of the SAMAHAN treasurer will then disburse the amount to the department and cluster student executive treasurers after the bank process.

The Office of the SAMAHAN Treasurer also reminded everyone in the meeting that the cluster’s monthly liquidation report is due every 10th of the month and that failing to do so will result in a penalty.