PNoy starts preparations for 2013 budget

President Benigno Aquino III has started early preparations to draw up the proposed budget for 2013, the Department of Budget and Management said Sunday.   DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said this is the "new tradition" of early budget preparation, to make sure budgets are enacted and implemented quickly.   “As the President broke ground with the earliest budget signing since our restored democracy, so do we follow suit with the early preparation of the proposed budget for 2013. We are establishing this as the Aquino administration’s new tradition of early budget preparation, so that subsequent national budgets will be enacted and implemented quickly,” Abad said.   The DBM said the National Budget Call for 2013 kicked off as early as December 29 last year, beginning with the facilitation of the National Budget Fora in the DBM.   It said the forums were conducted on January 16 and 17, with the participation of national government agencies and various government corporations.   During the Budget Forum, government agencies and government-owned and -controlled corporations are properly informed of guidelines for budget preparation.   “This will strike out ambiguity in the preparation process and encourage all departments to draft their respective budget proposals in a timely, accurate, and compliant manner,” Abad said.   Also, the DBM Budget Fora will set indicative budget ceilings and macroeconomic assumptions that underline the preparation process.   On the other hand, the DBM will also hold consultations with a broad range of so-called civil society groups.   5 key result areas   Abad said the 2013 Budget Preparation Exercise will revolve around the Aquino administration’s five Key Result Areas, which are:  

• overall reduction of poverty
• establishment of good governance
• improvement of economic services
• strengthening of national security
• increased focus on climate change and environmental issues.

  “The early budget preparation will also flesh out remaining lump-sum funds from agency budgets, fortify the mechanisms of Regional Development Councils, expand civil society engagement, and implement the Administration’s ‘bottom-up’ approach to drafting the budget,” Abad said.   The DBM said the 2013 budget preparation will also reinforce the government’s public expenditure management reforms by maintaining its focus on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, the Organizational Performance Indicator Framework, and the Zero-Based Budgeting Approach.   Budget calendar   A budget calendar will guide budget preparation activities, Abad said. The timetable is:  

• April 9: agencies and departments should turn in their budget proposals
• June 21: the presentation of the budget to the President and the Cabinet
• July 20: the submission of all FY 2013 budget documents to the President
• July 23: submission of the 2013 National Expenditure Program to Congress, a day after Aquino delivers his State of the Nation Address.

  — KBK, GMA News