Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos said the government’s financial resources are dwindling, and this is why it will be a tougher year “in terms of exemptions.”
Following the enactment of the FY 2011 budget in October last year, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial issued a directive to implement a 16-hour cut in the government but exempted critical service personnel like police officers, doctors, nurses firefighters corrections officers and teachers.
Just recently, the Manamko’ Center was exempted from austerity Fridays at least during May, which is the Older Americans Month
But in the next fiscal year, Inos said the government can no longer afford to have the same list of exemptions from the austerity measures.
The FY 2012 budget, he added, is taking into account a 25 percent revenue reduction.
There’s no way the government can again provide exemptions to those who received them in the current fiscal year, Inos said.
In the next fiscal year, he added, only those in the “frontlines” of critical services will be exempted.
These include doctors, nurses and police officers but “only when they are required to work,” which means not everyone of them will be exempted, Inos said.
The current budget amounted to $132 million, which was later reduced to $122 million.
For FY 2012, the Fitial administration is proposing a $102 million. This does not include the $18 million for the Department of Public Health which will be transformed into an autonomous public health corporation this summer.
Lawmakers and administration officials said the $102 million figure is expected to go down further by July.
