Gov’t spending on infrastructure up 34% in August

The amount spent by the government on vital infrastructure jumped by a third year-on-year to P34 billion in August as the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) rolled out more road projects.

Department of Budget and Management data showed that expenditures on infrastructure and other capital outlays in August rose 33.7 percent from P25.4 billion a year ago.

The amount spent on infrastructure in August, however, was 12.3-percent lower than July’s P38.7 billion.

The DBM attributed the jump in infrastructure spending to “the continuous rollout of road infrastructure programs of the DPWH mainly for road network services and maintenance and construction of other infrastructure assets, including convergence programs implemented for the month.”

Additional capital expenditures were also generated from the repair and rehabilitation of school facilities and construction of classrooms and school buildings in some Department of Education school divisions and state universities and colleges; upgrading of health facilities in Department of Health hospitals, and payment of completed irrigation projects which were implemented by the National Irrigation Administration when it was still attached to the Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Secretary, the DBM said in a report.