83.5% of 2015 budget released as of end-April

THE GOVERNMENT has disbursed P2.175 trillion, or equivalent to 83.5 percent of the 2015 national budget as of end-April, the latest Department of Budget and Management (DBM) data showed.

The total releases made during the first four months of 2015, which also included continuing appropriations under the 2014 general as well as supplemental budgets, were faster year-on-year.

During the first four months of last year, only 80.9 percent or P1.833 trillion of the P2.265-trillion 2014 budget was released.

In April alone, the DBM disbursed P49 billion to add to end-March releases worth P2.126 trillion.

For releases covering the original 2015 general appropriations of P2.606 trillion, end-April allotment releases reached P2.127 trillion or 81.6 percent of the program.

Comprehensive releases to government departments from January to April hit P1.236 trillion or 92.7 percent of the program.

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

Of the end-April releases, a total of P1.318 trillion was under the GAA or 75.7 percent of the program. Besides the allotment releases to government departments, P81.4 billion was poured into special purpose funds at end-April, or a fifth of the 2015 program.