SCB presents first semester budget; 44 percent of budget to go to departments

The SAMAHAN Central Board (SCB) presented its budget for the first semester of 2016-2017 during a budget hearing at F700 last June 27, 2016.

The SCB’s first semester budget was presented by SAMAHAN Treasurer Karla Dominique Tiu to various student officials and representatives from different divisions and organizations. After a two-hour long deliberation and evaluation among representatives, everyone involved in the said hearing agreed to the proposed budget by the SCB for this semester.

The SCB’s budget for the first semester is worth Php 734,269.21 which is composed of the following:

Php 546,560.00 from the total collection of SAMAHAN fees from 6,832 students, and;
Php 187,709.21 balance forwarded from the general fund and departments

Around 44 percent of the budget will go to the different departments, then 23 percent will go to different events organized by the SCB, 19 percent will be for the SCB’s operating funds, 13 percent for its committees, and one percent will go to the offices of the SCB president, secretary-general, and treasurer.

This year’s budget for the first semester is lesser compared to last year when they had a budget of Php 799,649.28. The decline in this year’s budget was due to the reduction of the number of students enrolling in the university from 9,009 students during the first semester last year to only 6,832 students for this year’s first semester.

The breakdown of how the SCB will spend this semester’s budget are as follows:

Php 136,000.00 will be allocated to their operating funds, which is composed of the general fund, donation fund, moderator honorarium, utilities, supplies, and snacks fund.
Php 8,500.00 will go to the offices of the president (Php 3,000.00), secretary-general (Php 3,000.00), and the treasurer (Php 2,500.00).
Php 99,000.00 will go to SCB’s committees: the offices of the Buklod Ambassador, Welfare, Research, Environmental Unit, Creative Team, Productions, Communications, Commission on Internal Audit, Task Force, Commission on Elections, Systems Development, and Sponsorship and Support.
Php 170,600.00 will go to the events that will be organized by the SCB this semester such as the Buklod Atenista summit, the Pakighinabi Conversation series, the College Fiesta, and the Palarong Atenista.
Php 319,928.41 will go to the different university departments and clusters.

With the bulk of the budget going to the departments, the amounts of money that will be received by each department are as follows:

General Assembly of Class Presidents (G.A.C.P.) – Php 25,000.00
Campus Club Organization (C.C.O.) – Php 22,500.00
Accountancy – Php 24,077.64
Business and Management – Php 25,532.57
Computer Studies – Php 20,337.95
Humanities and Letters – Php 20,407.41
Natural Science and Mathematics – Php 19,778.64
School of Education – Php 19,614.14
School of Engineering and Architecture – Php 24,819.72
School of Nursing – Php 19,358.25
Social Sciences – Php 21,792.88

After the budget hearing, Derizza Giselle Lapurada, the School of Engineering and Architecture representative, shared her views about it.

“I like the initiative of the Office of the SAMAHAN Treasurer and I think naa man pud siya sa fiscal manual. So, it’s good na naa siya didto para at least, informed well ang each division and maka-decide gud mi as one kung unsa ba jud ang dapat ang allocation for each division,” Lapurada said.

Computer Studies representative, Chester Rosario, shared his opinion on budget allocation for each department or division.

“I think it’s fair kasi maliit lang rin yung deduction from other divs (divisions), and kasi yung sa part namin as CS (Computer Studies), kahit ano yung matanggap namin, kay maliit lang yung bawas. Whatever it is na manalo doon kay okay lang para sa amin,” Rosario said.