DOTr eyes P15B from budget realignment for COVID-19 response

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has identified at least 35 projects for budget realignment in a bid to augment funds for the government’s COVID-19 response.

“The DOTr has only proposed to reallocate a portion of the budget of specific projects or items under programs that will not be used or disbursed within the year,” Transportation Assistant Secretary Goddess Libiran told GMA News Online.

In a separate statement, the Transportation department said it has submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the list of projects for budget realignment to free up P15.1 billion of funds for initiatives to mitigate COVID-19.

However, Libiran clarified that “by no means that these re-allocation of a portion of the project funds constitute abandonment or scrapping of the said projects entirely.”

“Example, in the specific case of the MRT-3 rehab, what we did was determine that we can set aside a specific amount out of its P17-billion total project cost, which will form part of the P15-billion funding that we have collated from various projects in our aviation, maritime, railways and road sectors,” she said.

“Another example of which is PNR Clark Phase 1. Since PNR Clark 1 suspended construction works for one month, that means we are also not paying them for one month's worth of works,” she noted.

The one month worth of works was included in the DOTR's General Appropriations Act 2020 budget, the Transportation official said.

“Since we will no longer need it, we offered it to be transferred to the COVID-19 response fund,” Libiran said. —LDF, GMA News