15/10/2026
INSTEAD OF MAKING FOOLS OF THEMSELVES, THE PNM SHOULD TELL THEIR CONSTITUENTS THAT THE SEVEN PNM CORPORATIONS RECEIVED $490 MILLION MORE THAN THE SEVEN UNC CORPORATIONS.
SEE EXPRESS STORY BELOW AND EXCERPT FROM BUDGET DOCUMENTS:
PNM gets $490m more than UNC
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has dismissed claims by People’s National Movement (PNM)-controlled municipal corporations that their funding was cut, disclosing yesterday that the seven PNM corporations received almost half a billion dollars more than their United National Congress (UNC) counterparts.
Persad-Bissessar accused the PNM corporations of mismanaging public funds and questioned their complaints despite receiving increased allocations.
She provided the following breakdown of allocations:
• Seven PNM corporations received approximately $1.29 billion.
• Seven UNC corporations received approximately $799 million.
• The PNM corporations received $490 million more than the UNC corporations.
• The PNM corporations received an increase of $276 million over last year.
• The UNC corporations received an increase of $183 million over last year.
Persad-Bissessar said: “They got almost half a billion dollars more than the UNC but still complain. It doesn’t matter if you give the PNM corporations every cent of the budget, they will find a way to either thief, waste or fete it out, with nothing to show.”
She further accused the PNM corporations of longstanding financial mismanagement and alleged that public funds were being diverted towards political patronage.
“They have been doing that for decades and will continue to do so. They are just going to take that money and throw it behind ghost workers and inflated contracts for their financiers,” she told the Express.
The Prime Minister also directed criticism at constituents in PNM-controlled municipalities.
“The constituents in those PNM corporations like it like that, so enjoy,” she said.
Her response followed complaints over municipal funding allocations, with the Prime Minister maintaining that the figures contradicted claims that PNM-controlled corporations were financially disadvantaged.
The Prime Minister cited data from the Ministry of Finance’s Draft Estimates of Expenditure, 2027.
According to the document, PNM corporations got $490 million more than their UNC counterparts in the 2027 national budget.
The seven PNM-controlled municipal corporations have been allocated approximately $1.29 billion in the 2027 national budget, nearly half a billion dollars more than the $799 million allocated to the seven UNC-controlled corporations.
The figures also showed that all 14 municipal corporations have received increased allocations compared with the revised estimates for fiscal 2026.
The seven PNM-controlled corporations collectively received an increase of approximately $276 million, while the seven UNC-controlled corporations received an additional $183 million.
The figures are detailed on page 268 of the Draft Estimates, under Head 42—Ministry of Rural Development and Local Government.
Overall, allocations under the Local Government Bodies expenditure category have increased from $1.654 billion in the 2026 revised estimates to $2.104 billion for fiscal 2027, representing an increase of approximately $449.7 million.
This represents a rise of approximately 27%.
Port of Spain gets largest allocation
According to the estimates, the PNM-controlled Port of Spain City Corporation received the largest allocation of any municipal corporation, with $295.3 million earmarked for fiscal 2027.
This represents an increase of $60.9 million over its revised 2026 allocation of $234.4 million.
The San Fernando City Corporation, also controlled by the PNM, received the second-largest allocation of $212.3 million, up from $157.2 million in 2026—an increase of $55.2 million.
The San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation has been allocated $217.3 million, compared with $173.8 million last year, an increase of $43.5 million.
The Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation will receive $222.4 million, up from $175 million, representing an increase of $47.4 million.
The Diego Martin Borough Corporation’s allocation increased from $98.7 million to $123.4 million, an additional $24.7 million.
The Arima Borough Corporation will receive $114.3 million, compared with $91.7 million previously, while the Point Fortin Borough Corporation’s allocation increased from $84 million to $104.8 million.
These allocations show that each of the seven PNM-controlled corporations received increases over the previous fiscal year’s revised estimates.
UNC corporations also receive increases
Among the seven UNC-controlled corporations, the Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo Regional Corporation received one of the largest allocations, increasing from $115.2 million to $147.8 million, an additional $32.6 million.
The Chaguanas Borough Corporation’s allocation rose from $82.3 million to $109.8 million, an increase of $27.5 million.
The Sangre Grande Regional Corporation received $114.9 million, compared with $89.7 million previously, an increase of $25.2 million.
The Siparia Borough Corporation’s allocation increased from $94.6 million to $122.7 million, representing an additional $28.2 million.
The Princes Town Regional Corporation will receive $111.2 million, up from $81.9 million, an increase of $29.3 million.
The Penal/Debe Regional Corporation’s allocation rose from $82.3 million to $100.4 million, an increase of $18.1 million, while the Mayaro/Rio Claro Regional Corporation received $93.3 million, compared with $71.1 million last year, an additional $22.2 million.
https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/pnm-gets-490m-more-than-unc/article_fbb31733-7876-42a9-a6fb-48381fdcc8e3.amp.html
