90% of department budgets for 2012 released—DBM

The government is gunning for the completion of infrastructure projects before the rainy season sets in, as Malacañang released an “unprecedented” 90.5 percent of department budgets just two weeks into the year.

For 2012, the executive departments have been earmarked a total of P869.9 billion.

Budget Secretary Florencio B. Abad said Tuesday the release of P786.6 billion as of January 15 was made possible due to the early passage of the 2012 national budget as well, the limited number of permitted lump-sum funds and the disaggregation of other lump-sum funds.

“The funds (disbursed) correspond to important items in the 2012 General Appropriations Act for various government programs, activities and projects,” Abad said.

“The early substantial releases will also allow the administration to jumpstart most of its programmed infrastructure projects and complete them well before the rainy season and typhoons set in,” he said.

Also, Abad said the budget department had released 47.3 percent, or P858.8 billion, of the P1.8-trillion budget for this year in the first two weeks of this month.

He added that as of January 12, the department had also released 99.6 percent, or P424.4 billion, of the P426.1 billion allocated for personal service while 90.4 percent of the P234.4-billion budget for maintenance and other operating expenses was disbursed as early as January 4.

“In addition, we have successfully released 72.1 percent, or P150.2 billion, of the P208.3-billion allocation for capital outlays (COs),” Abad said. “This is in sharp contrast to our experience in 2011, during which the bulk of CO releases were made only in the second half of the year.”

He said that part of the total CO releases in January was the P142-billion budget for various infrastructure projects under different agencies.

Departments that received the largest CO releases include the Department of Public Works and Highways with P91.06 billion, the Department of Agriculture with P24.97 billion, and the Department of Education with P11.06 billion.