Gov't infra spending to surge by 90% this year – Budget chief Diokno

In line with the Duterte administration's ambitious infrastructure program, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Thursday said the government is targeting to ramp up infrastructure spending by at least 90 percent for 2017.

"It will shoot for about 90 percent this year," Diokno told reporters at the sidelines of the Infrastructure and Construction Forum in Makati City.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has reported that infrastructure expenditures grew by 38.1 percent to P46.2 billion in May from P33.5 billion in April.

The government has so far spent 23.28 percent of the P847.2 billion budget allotted to infrastructure development.

In the year to date, fiscal spending on infrastructure amounted to 197.2 billion, up 8.1 percent from P182.4 billion a year earlier.

"It will pick up, kasi construction is like an S-curve. Mag-uumpisa 'yan mabagal and then towards the end mabilis na," Diokno said.

"I think the second half will be much better than the first half," he noted.

The Duterte administration is allocating P8.4 trillion to the "golden age of infrastructure" during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte. — VDS, GMA News