Infra, defense budgets cut for COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines —The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) last month made additional cuts in this year’s budgets for infrastructure and national defense as it reallocated more funds for the government’s new coronavirus (COVID-19) response.

DBM documents showed that in May, another P3 billion was cut from the 2020 budget of the Department of National Defense (DND), bringing it further down to P182 billion.

In April, the DND’s budget was already cut by P6.7 billion, bringing the cumulative reduction under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act to P9.7 billion. The DND’s original budget for 2020 amounted to P191.7 billion.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) also suffered another P1-billion budget cut, bringing the two-month reduction to P122.9 billion. Thus, the DPWH was left with P457.9 billion out of its original P580.9-billion budget for 2020.

—Ben O. De Vera

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