DBM chief eyes improved budget utilization

IMPROVEMENT of the various government agencies’ processes in budget utilization is expected among the keys to address the seeming underspending, Budget and Management Secretary Wendell Avizado said.

In a virtual briefing on Friday, Avisado said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) does not know the expenditure patterns of the various agencies but some policies need to be heeded.

“On our part, we have done our share. We have released their budgets so they can implement their programs unhampered,” he said in mixed English and Filipino.

Avisado said “it’s just a matter of really improving on (the) probably the system and, barring any unforeseen circumstance, they’ll be able to improve on their budget utilization rate.”

In a statement on Friday, the DBM said the agency released around 85.1 percent of this year’s P3.83-trillion national budget as of end-June.

Total releases to line departments have reached P2.38 trillion, or about 90.1 percent of the total, and is an improvement from the 79.8 percent rate in the same period last year.

“The DBM has fully released the respective allotments of most departments, including the PHP176.66 billion FLR (for later release) appropriations of the Department of Social Welfare and Development for the implementation of its various social amelioration programs,” the statement said.

It said there are no FLR appropriations for infrastructure and social amelioration programs that are being withheld as earlier indicated by some lawmakers.

“It is noted that of the P158.36 billion FLR appropriations intended for the infrastructure programs of the Department of Public Works and Highways, P144.81 billion have already been recommended by the DBM to the President for approval. This amount comprises the bulk of the P261.05 billion unreleased appropriations under the P4.506 trillion FY (fiscal year) 2021 National Budget as of June 30, 2021,” it added. /