Gov’t infra spending up 11.8% in first 10 months

The amount spent by the government on infrastructure rose 17.8 percent year-on-year to P51.5 billion in October as more public works projects were rolled out that month.

The latest Department of Budget and Management data showed that disbursements for infrastructure and other capital outlays at the start of the fourth quarter increased from P43.7 billion in October last year.

However, infrastructure expenditures that month were lower than September’s P53.6 billion.

The DBM attributed the year-on-year increase in infrastructure spending in October to the Department of Public Works and Highways’ projects such as road repair, upgrading and widening as well as flood control and rehabilitation or improvement of dike systems, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government-Philippine National Police’s acquisition of transport and other equipment under its capability enhancement program.

Also, the DBM said the higher infrastructure expenditures were partly due to payment for various communication, navigational and air traffic management system projects, as well as consultancy and civil works for the Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 extension projects of the Department of Transportation.

From January to October, the government spent P442.7 billion on infrastructure and other capital outlays, up 11.8 percent from P395.8 billion in the same 10-month period last year.

The rise in end-October expenditures on infrastructure was mainly on the back of the implementation of road infrastructure program of the DPWH, modernization and capability enhancement program of the Department of National Defense-Armed Forces of the Philippines and DILG-PNP, as well as other capital outlay projects of the Department of Education and state universities and colleges (repair and rehabilitation of school facilities), and the Department of Health (acquisition of health facilities and medical equipment), the DBM said.

The Duterte administration early this year unveiled the ambitious “Build, Build, Build” program aimed at ushering in “the golden age of infrastructure” after years of neglect.

Under “Build, Build, Build,” the government will roll out 75 flagship, game-changing infrastructure projects, with about half targeted to be finished within President Duterte’s term, alongside plans to spend a total of up to P9 trillion on hard and modern infrastructure until 2022.