MANILA – Government spending on infrastructure rose in double-digit terms in August driven by the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
Spending on infrastructure and other capital outlays stood at P68.4 billion, up 70.5 percent or P28.3 billion from P40.1 billion in the same period last year, data released by the DBM showed.
This brought the first eight months spending on infrastructure to P505.6 billion, up 49.8 percent from P337.6 billion year-on-year.
“This increase was mostly due to the various projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways; which include road widening, repair, and construction, flood control, and drainage improvement projects, among others,” the DBM said.
“The modernization program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines also contributed to the surge in spending with the procurement of military communication equipment,” it added.
As of end-August, the DBM has released 93 percent or P3.498 trillion of the P3.77-trillion national budget for 2018.
This high percentage indicates a significant amount of public funds made available for implementing agencies to finance their respective programs, activities, and projects, according to the Budget department.
“We owe it to the Filipino people that implementing agencies immediately utilize the public funds that have been released to ensure the effective delivery of public services within the fiscal year,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said.
“This is in accordance with annual cash-based budgeting that Congress should pass into law for future administrations to adhere to,” Diokno said.
For the last quarter of the year, 7.1 percent or P269.1 billion of the national budget has yet to be released.
The amount consists of P124.3 billion in agency-specific budget and P140.4 billion in Special Purpose Funds (SPF).
Some of the big-ticket program balances under the regular budget of agencies include the remaining requirements for creating and filling positions at the Department of Education and the Educational Facilities Fund for implementation by the DPWH, the DBM said.
Unreleased allotments from the SPFs comprise mostly program balances in the subsidy to government corporations, the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund, and the pension gratuity fund, it said.
“The allotment releases for these remaining balances are being closely evaluated by the budget department to maximize the use of available funds and to ensure whether these can still be obligated and delivered within the year,” Diokno said. (GMA News)
