00:00The PNM is pushing back against Prime Minister Kamala Fassad Vassassar's assertion that its seven municipal corporations received approximately $490
00:09million more than their UNC counterparts in the 2027 budget.
00:14Opposition MP Simon Dino-Briggs says the comparison overlooks what he describes as significant disparities in development funding and allocations
00:24for essential services.
00:25He says the budget provides funding through recurrent expenditure and the development program and argues that the two must be
00:33examined separately.
00:35Seven PNM-led corporations have gotten a combined total of approximately $31.6 million.
00:44The seven UNC-led corporations have gotten a combined total of approximately $107.7 million.
00:56Dino-Briggs points to the allocations for the country's two cities, comparing them with those for Chaguanas and Pinal-de
01:04-Bey.
01:04Puerto Spain, for their development program, got $2.6 million TT.
01:10San Fernando, for their development program, got $3.8 million TT.
01:17These are our two cities as currently stands in Trinidad.
01:23Chaguanas got $37.9 million TT.
01:33He says the figures are markedly different from those in 2025 when, according to the PNM, no corporation in Trinidad
01:41received less than $17.15 million or more than $20.05 million for its development program.
01:49Dana-Obrego also argues that increases in overall recurrent expenditure do not necessarily translate into better services for residents,
01:58saying much of the additional funding is attributed to wages, salaries and the cost of living allowance.
02:05The PNM corporations have had reductions in their allocations for garbage collection and for materials that are used to patch
02:15roads, repair drains and steps, etc.
02:19And UNC-led corporations have had increases.
02:21The opposition MP cites reductions in garbage collection allocation of $2.9 million for Puerto Spain, $2.2 million for
02:31San Fernando, $6.3 million for Diego Martin and $5.1 million for Tunapuno Piaco.
02:37By contrast, he says Sangre Grandi received an increase of $3 million, while Chaguanas received an additional $3.3 million.
02:47Dana-Obrego says the same pertains for other areas.
02:50And that same pattern continues with regards to materials and supplies for the maintenance of state traces, local roads, etc.
03:01By way of example, again, Diego Martin had their allocation reduced by $382,000.
03:10Separia had their allocation increased by half a million dollars.
03:16He describes the difference as evidence of discrimination against PNM-controlled corporations directly challenging the Prime Minister's defense of allocations.
03:25Nothing that she has said in this regard is based in fact.
03:30And unfortunately, but as usual, she instead goes to her usual political law of insults and derogatory comments and wild
03:40accusations with absolutely no proof.
03:43He ends with a personal criticism of the Prime Minister's explanation.
03:48In this regard, again, unfortunately, the Prime Minister, our Prime Minister, is either uninformed of this simple reality, she is
04:01lying, or both, and quite frankly, none of those options would surprise me.
04:07The competing claims center on whether the overall funding allocations tell the full story or whether the distribution of development
04:16funding and resources for essential municipal services points to a disparity between PNM and UNC-controlled corporations.
04:25Arvishita Mwari Ruknarain, TV6 News.
