Over 85% of 2016 budget released – DBM

MANILA, Philippines – A month before it steps down, the Aquino administration has released more than 85 percent or P2.56 trillion of this year’s budget to state agencies, data from the Department of Budget and Management showed.

“Despite the high percentage of allocation, I do think that there will still be a lot of funds available for use by the incoming administration,” said Nicholas Antonio Mapa, research officer at Bank of the Philippine Islands, in an e-mail.

“(This is because) budget being allocated and disbursed by the DBM are not fully utilized,” he said.

Incoming budget secretary Benjamin Diokno did not respond for comment.

Allotment puts the agencies a step closer to actual disbursement of their funds. After this, they are now allowed to enter into contracts so that funds may be obligated.

After securing a notice of cash allocation, agencies may redeem checks from the Bureau of the Treasury so that they may pay for contracted services.

Of the total amount as of May, P1.5 trillion was already released to departments and other agencies. This accounted for 92.7 percent of their P1.62-trillion program.

Eighteen offices, including the Commission on Elections, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and National Anti-Poverty Commission, already have their entire outlays with them.

The rest had between 70 and 90 percent allotment rate. The Climate Change Commission lagged behind with only 39.5 percent or P93.95 billion of its P237.95-billion budget released.

Meanwhile, P162.7 billion worth of special purpose funds (SPFs) – or lump sum allocations for specific purposes – were also released from January to May.

This represented 36.1 percent of the P451.21 billion in SPFs for the year, DBM data showed.

The remaining balance of P870.01 billion – 93.5 percent of the total – was in the form of automatic appropriations, which cover debt payments, tax expenditures for agencies and grants, among others.