DBM hikes LGU bottom-up budget by 20% to P24.7B

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) increased its bottom-up budget (BUB) proposal for financial year 2016 by almost 20 percent to P24.7 billion from P20.9 billion this year.

The 2016 figure will cover 1,514 cities and municipalities to support the implementation of 14,326 BUB projects.

“We have to be able to mainstream this exercise in the coming budget cycles and increase further the amount of funds that local government units (LGUs) and communities get,” DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said.

The increase in bottom-up budget was implemented to help attain the Philippines’ Millenium Development Goal (MDG) of inclusive growth, poverty reduction and promote good governance at the local level.

Projects that are selected are expected to contribute to basic social services and attainment of the MDG; hunger mitigation and elimination; job generation and inclusive local economic development; and climate change adaptation and disaster preparedness.

Since its implementation, BUB budget has increased by more than 200 percent, from P8 billion in 2013 with just 595 cities and municipalities reached and 5,894 projects carried out.

“The BUB is meant to empower our grassroots communities and their respective local governments. That’s why we’ve made improvements to the program by allowing LGUs to directly implement projects instead of coursing them through the agencies. This also strengthens the link of accountability between our LGUs and their constituents,” Abad said.