Bulk of 2015 budget released in 1st quarter

More than 81 percent of the 2015 national budget or a total of P2.126 trillion has been released as of the end of the first quarter, the latest Department of Budget and Management (DBM) data showed.

Total disbursements as of the end of March included continuing appropriations under the 2014 general appropriations and the supplemental budget. The national budget for this year amounts to P2.606 trillion.

Releases under the original 2015 appropriations hit P2.095 trillion or 80.4 percent of the total.

In a statement issued Monday, the DBM said the first quarter releases were bigger this year than the 63.7 percent released in the same period last year.

Also, comprehensive releases to government departments as of the end of March reached 92.5 percent of the total or P1.234 trilion, higher than the 89.4 percent disbursed to government agencies in the same period in 2014.

The DBM attributed the faster disbursement to government departments to the implementation of the general appropriations act (GAA)-as-release-document regime since last year.

“Under the GAA-as-release-document regime, departments and agencies can begin obligating funds, start procurement procedures, and enter into contracts without securing a special allotment release order (SARO) from DBM. The GAA is used as the official release document, which facilitates speedier project execution and reduces bottlenecks,” the DBM said.

Of the first quarter releases, a total of P1.295 trillion was under the GAA, of which P61.36 billion were poured into special purpose funds.

Thus, of the P1.740 trillion programmed as allotment releases under the 2015 GAA, 74.5 percent or P1.295 trillion was already disbursed.

First quarter releases from automatic appropriations—which are being programmed over a period prescribed by law through outstanding legislation requiring periodic action by Congress—almost doubled, percentage wise, to 92.3 percent from 47.1 percent last year, the DBM said.

The end-March automatic appropriations amounted P799.8 billion. For 2015, a total of P866.2 billion in automatic appropriations were allocated into retirement and life insurance premium, internal revenue allotment or IRA, pension of ex-presidents and ex-presidents’ widows, grants and donations, special account in the general fund (including motor vehicle users charge fund), net lending, interest payment, and releases under the tax expenditures fund for customs duties and taxes to be paid for government importation.