Gov’t spending up 6.4%

MANILA, Philippines–Government spending on public goods and services from January to October last year grew 6.4 percent to P1.61 trillion, mainly on the back of increases in disbursements for infrastructure such as houses and roads as well as health insurance of poor families.

The latest data from the Department of Budget and Management’s website showed that the end-October 2014 disbursements were higher than the P1.51 trillion spent during the first 10 months of 2013.

This was attributed by the DBM largely on account of the 8.5-percent combined growth in maintenance and capital spending; increase by P23.3 billion in the allocation for Philhealth’s  health insurance premium of poor and near-poor families; and about P28 billion, or 10.8-percent, increase in Internal Revenue Allotment based on mandated LGU [local government unit] shares.”–Ben O. de Vera