MANILA – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) posted an improved budget utilization in the third quarter of 2023, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Tuesday.
In a press conference with Palace reporters, NEDA Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon noted that the DPWH and the DSWD are among the government agencies that stepped up in terms of capital spending.
Edillon said it was based on the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) report presented during a sectoral meeting presided over by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. at Malacañan Palace in Manila earlier in the day.
“Actually, for this third quarter, mataas ang naging spending ng mga ahensya. Well, number one, nakapag-submit naman ng mga catch-up plan kaya nga for many of them na-itaas talaga ‘yung spending for third quarter (Actually, for this third quarter, agencies' spending was high. Well, number one, they were able to submit catch-up plans, so for many of them, their spending for the third quarter was actually higher),” she said.
“Ang natatandaan ko lang doon (Based on what I remember, the agencies [with improved budget utilization]) is DPWH in terms of the capital spending and then DSWD,” she added.
The DSWD is among agencies with low budget utilization rates in the first half of 2023. The others include the Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Migrant Workers, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Tourism.
Marcos convened a meeting with concerned government agencies to discuss the September headline inflation, as well as the government’s spending performance and outlook.
DBM officials briefed Marcos about the catch-up plans to fully utilize the budget, measures to address underspending, and spending outlook for the remainder of the year, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a separate statement.
“The low national government disbursements in the second quarter of this year were among the reasons for the less stellar economic performance for the period,” Garafil said.
“Among the measures carried out by agencies include the conduct of early procurement activities (EPA) to expedite the execution of procurement projects, provision of capacity building and training programs for procuring entities, adoption of the integrated financial management information system across all government agencies, and preparation of agency roadmaps,” she added.
Garafil said government agencies are also issuing guidelines on fund release to include prioritization of big-ticket items and strict implementation of EPA.
She added that they are also adopting digital payments for goods and services, including the distribution of financial assistance.
Spending as of end-September 2023 reached PHP3.82 trillion, an improvement from the PHP2.41 trillion recorded in June 2023.
However, it is still PHP40.90 billion short of the PHP3.86 trillion programmed for the period.
The DBM is expecting project disbursements to reach PHP5.32 trillion by year end, higher than the PHP5.23 trillion program and PHP5.16 trillion recorded last year.
On Friday, the inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee expressed optimism about improved government spending in the fourth quarter of 2023, supported by the successful submission of agencies’ catch-up plans and driven by accelerated implementation of programs on infrastructure, transport, labor and employment, social protection, and education, among others. (PNA)
