MANILA – The government raised its infrastructure spending to P58 billion in May 2018, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
Support for infrastructure spending increased 26 percent – P12 billion – compared to the same period last year.
The Department of Public Works and Highways has completed various infrastructure projects – road concreting, widening and improvement; construction of bypass or diversion roads and flood control structures; and reconstruction, rehabilitation and repair of roads and bridges – the DBM said.
School building repair and rehabilitation under the Department of Education and the purchase of medical and health-related equipment by the Department of Health contributed to the rise in infrastructure spending as well, the agency said.
Budget secretary Benjamin Diokno said government spending on personal services stood at P107 billion, an increase of 20 percent (P18 billion) year-on-year.
This can be attributed to the release of the midyear bonus of government employees, higher pay of civilian government employees, and higher compensation for military and uniformed personnel, said Diokno.
“We are confident that we will hit our [second quarter] disbursement targets,” the secretary said. “In fact, actual disbursements for the first quarter exceeded the program so it’s justified to anticipate good results for the second quarter.”
State spending in May reached P292 billion, higher by P30.2 billion or 12 percent year-on-year, the DBM said.
This puts government spending for the first five months of the year at P1.325 trillion, higher by P265 billion or 25 percent from the same period last year, said the agency.
“We continue to make strides in the fiscal sector of the economy, and this is confirmed by the spending data,” Diokno said.
“This should translate to better outcomes in the real economy … more jobs for our people, improved standards of living and robust economic activity,” he added./PN
