2019 budget delay felt until August, says DBM

The impact of delayed budget approval on public infrastructure spending spilled over to August, with fund releases falling into lower levels, according to data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

In August, the government spent P59.3 billion on infrastructure and other capital outlay, down 13.2 percent from P68.4 billion in the same period in 2018.

Spending on infrastructure in August was also lower by 21.1 percent from levels in July.

The DBM, in a report, continued to blame the late approval by Congress of the 2019 national budget as legislators fought over kickbacks in corruption-ridden pork barrel funds.

The government underspent P1 billion a month on public goods and services between January and April when it used reenacted appropriations instead of the P3.7-trillion 2019 national budget./TSB