DOF: Funds from unobligated budget items may be realigned to COVID-19 efforts

Funds from unobligated budget items in the past three years may be realigned to government initiatives against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Department of Finance (DOF) said Tuesday.

Finance Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Antonio "Tony" Lambino II said that with the special budgetary powers granted to President Rodrigo Duterte, he has also been given the authority to realign funds for unobligated items.

"Meron po tayong pinagkukunan ng pondo na mga budget items na hindi pa na-obligate over the past two years, three years ng ating general appropriations act (GAA). Puwede nating kunin 'yun... tapos i-align para dito sa ating mga COVID-19 initiatives," he said in an interview on GMA Super Radyo dzBB.

"Kasi 'yung Bayanihan to Heal as One, binigyan ng kongreso 'yung Pangulo ng expanded budgetary powers. Kasama 'yung realignment," added Lambino.

To recall, the passage of 2019 general appropriations act (GAA) was delayed and passed only in April last year, and Duterte in December signed into law a measure extending the availability of some of its portions until the end of 2020.

"'Yung mga hindi gumalaw ng mga budget line from previous GAA na nandiyan pa 'yung pera, mayroon kasing mga multi-year obligations, mga multi-year projects na minsan ay nade-delay so 'yun, dahil nagagamit, kunin na natin dito," said Lambino.

In the same interview, Lambino said the administration is also looking at increasing its borrowing to raise more funds for COVID-19 relief efforts.

"Meron naman pong ibang mapagkukuhanan. Tama po 'yung sinabi ni Pangulo, kung kailangan umutang ay mayroon naman tayong mapaguutangan, dahil maganda 'yung ating track record ay nagpapautang sila sa atin," he said.

This comes after Duterte on Monday instructed Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III to find additional funds, saying the P275-billion package earlier approved by Congress last month was not enough. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA News