GOVPH

Allotment releases, which refer to the authorization issued by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) enabling line agencies to incur obligations for their programs and projects, amounted to PhP2.607 trillion from May 2 - 31, 2019. This is equivalent to 79.6% of the PhP3.276 trillion net program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, with the remaining balance at PhP668.6 billion.   It can be noted that the government operated under a reenacted budget for the first four months of the year as the FY 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA) was signed into law only on April 15, 2019. Allotment releases from the FY 2018 GAA as reenacted amounted to PhP386.1 billion from January to April 2019. Combining the 2019 net program of PhP3.276 trillion and the initial releases from the 2018 reenacted budget yields the full-year program of PhP 3.662 trillion.   Releases to departments reached PhP1.515 trillion, which is 83.7% of its net program. This is largely due to the GAA-as-Allotment-Order (GAAO) policy of the DBM where majority of funds are comprehensively released to agencies as soon as the budget is passed into law. Releases from Special Purpose Funds (SPFs) amounted to PhP21.1 billion or 5.4% of...

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released the pension requirements of retired Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) under the Armed Forces of the Philippines - General Headquarters (AFP-GHQ), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).   Particularly, the DBM released P29.9 billion to the AFP-GHQ, P21.7 billion to the PNP, P1.9 billion to the BFP, and around P731 million to the BJMP. The release order for uniformed personnel of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority shall be issued upon its submission of the required Special Budget Request to the DBM.   The current base pay scale is stipulated in Congress Joint Resolution (JR) No. 1, s. 2018, “Joint Resolution Authorizing the Increase in Base Pay of Military and Uniformed Personnel in the Government, and for Other Purposes.” It may be recalled that JR No. 1, s. 2018 was passed on January 1, 2018 fulfilling President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s promise of increasing the base pay of all MUP. However, the indexation of pension to the current base pay scale was suspended for FY 2018 under the same JR No. 1 which directed that “pending...

Php 1.323 trillion have been released from January 1 to April 30 of this year, according to data provided by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).   The total release includes the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA) as reenacted, automatic appropriations, continuing appropriations, among other appropriations.   Allotment releases to the line departments under the 2018 GAA as reenacted have reached PhP 642.44 billion. These include funds allocated to agencies in the Executive branch, Congress, the Judiciary, and other constitutional offices.   Allotment releases issued by the DBM, enable agencies to incur obligations to finance the delivery of public services, such as education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and infrastructure development.   In addition, fund releases from Special Purpose Funds (SPFs) amounted to PhP 54.56 billion. Notable releases came from the Pension and Gratuity Fund, Budgetary Support to Government Corporations, and the Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund.   Automatic Appropriations   Furthermore, automatic appropriations totaled PhP 611.04 billion were released with the Internal Revenue Allotment comprising most of the amount at PhP 575.52 billion. Other...

We, the economic managers, remain committed to the pursuit of sustained and inclusive growth through fast implementation of the government’s programs and projects to make up for lower-than-planned state spending in the first quarter due to the delay in passage of the 2019 budget.   Today, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the Philippine economy grew by 5.6 percent in the first quarter of 2019. This is the slowest growth rate recorded in 16 quarters, since the 5.1 percent growth recorded in the first quarter of 2015. Nonetheless, despite the limitations of a reenacted budget, the Philippines remains among one of the region’s fastest-growing economies.   The budget impasse in Congress during the first three months of the year set off a spending cutback, which, in turn, stifled economic activity. The Senate-House deadlock over the 2019 General Appropriations Bill forced the government to operate on a reenacted 2018 budget for the entire first quarter. This resulted in underspending of about P1 billion pesos per day, equivalent to P80-90 billion in disbursements for the first quarter of 2019.   Were it not for this, the economy could have received a tremendous boost from...

Participants in the Open Government Partnership Commitment Design Workshop for Project DIME include government agencies, civil society organizations and the Project DIME team of the Department of Budget and Management     On April 15, 2019, the Department of Budget and Management hosted the “Open Government Partnership (OGP) Commitment Design Workshop for Project DIME (Digital Imaging for Monitoring and Evaluation).”     The event comprised of sessions that illustrated the background of Project DIME, the application of Open Government principles in the Project, the drafting of the OGP commitment, and the metrics of success, among others.   Project DIME uses existing technologies such as satellites, drones, and geotagging in monitoring the status, program, and activities of big-ticket government projects to ensure that public funds are well-spent. This project is especially important in overseeing projects in far-flung areas wherein physical inspection would prove difficult.   “The only reliable judge of the work that we do in the Philippine government are the Filipino people,” said Assistant Secretary Clarito Magsino during his Opening Remarks “so what better way to move forward than to open up...

Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) releases amounted to PhP 622.4 billion in the first quarter of 2019. Of this amount, PhP 614.6 billion have been utilized which translates to a utilization rate of 98.75%.   NCAs refer to disbursement authorities issued by the Department of Budget and Management to government servicing banks (i.e. Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, and Philippine Veterans Bank) to cover the cash requirements of agencies’ programs, activities, and projects.   With regard to the line agencies, NCA releases totalled PhP 463 billion while utilization reached PhP 455.3 billion. This implies a utilization rate of 98.33%.   Meanwhile, the NCA utilization rate of the PhP 159.3 billion that were released from Special Purpose Funds for the quarter almost hit 100%.   NCAs are valid up to the last working day of the quarter covered.     (30)   For inquiries, further questions and requests for interview, please contact Jonathan Vegamora: Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. document.getElementById('cloakb0045b7521998cccc7b9efdb53b2836a').innerHTML = ''; var prefix = 'ma' + 'il' + 'to'; var path = 'hr' +...

Left to right: Ms. Maria Donnalyn E. Briñas, San Pablo City Tourism Officer; Landscape Architect Don Patrick C. Manlangit, Department of Budget and Management Project Officer; Congresswoman Sol Aragones, Laguna 3rd District Representative; City Councilor Arnel Ticzon; Engr. Lowelito A. Glorioso, DPWH 3rd District Representative; and Mr. Ramon de Roma, City Environment and Natural Resources Office.       The local government of San Pablo City, the "City with Seven Lakes," has officially begun its rehabilitation project of the historic Doña Leonila Park, a hilly urban greenspace with a breathtaking view of Mt. San Cristobal, and the 99.2-hectare Sampaloc Lake.   With a funding assistance of PhP 14.9 million under the FY 2018 Local Government Support Fund-Assistance to Cities (LGSF-AC), or the Green Green Green Program of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the first phase of the rehabilitation will focus on repairing the park's features and improving the usability and accessibility of its various spaces.   On March 28, 2019, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the park, led by the Office of the City Mayor and City Tourism Office, and attended by Laguna 3rd District...