90.6% of ’18 budget released

The Department of Budget and Management has released 90.6 percent of the record P3.767-trillion 2018 national budget as of the first half, a faster pace than a year ago.

From January to June, P3.413 trillion of this year’s budget was already released, including continuing appropriations under the 2017 national budget as well as other automatic appropriations, the latest DBM data showed.

Last year, 84.3 percent or P2.824 trillion of the P3.35-trillion 2017 budget was released in the first six months.

For funds under the 2018 General Appropriations Act or Republic Act No. 10964, allotment releases at end-June amounted P2.469 trillion or 88.6 percent of the P2.786-trillion program.

Comprehensive releases to government departments during the first three months amounted P2.149 trillion or 93.7 percent of the programmed P2.295 trillion.

As for special purpose funds, P320.1 billion or 65.1 percent of the P491.5 billion allotted for 2018 were released.

Automatic appropriations—programmed over a period prescribed by law through outstanding legislation requiring periodic action by Congress—worth P937.4 billion or 95.6 percent of the P980.8-billion program for this year were released during the six-month period.

These automatic appropriations included retirement and life insurance premium, internal revenue allotment for local government units, pensions of former presidents and their widows, special account in the general fund (including motor vehicle users charge fund), net lending, interest payments, as well as releases under the tax expenditures fund for customs duties and taxes to be paid for government importation.

As such, 90.4 percent or P3.407 trillion of the original program was released as of June.

Also released were P6.093 billion in other releases, including P1.928 billion from continuing appropriations for departments, P3.174 billion in unprogrammed appropriations, as well as P991.1 million in other automatic appropriations (P986.1 million for grants/donations, and P4.9 million for the military camps sales proceeds fund).

A balance of P354.3 billion must still be released before yearend.