DPWH budget realigned due to some provinces’ low absorptive capacity — Evardone

For one lawmaker, the low absorptive capacity of the offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in some provinces is one of the reasons for the realignment of the agency's budget to other departments.

In a press conference on Monday, Eastern Samar Representative Ben Evardone showed to reporters a document showing the absorptive capacities of DPWH offices in the provinces.

"Talagang itong malalaking pondo na tinambakan [this year], ang bababa ng absorptive capacity nila," he said.

Evardone cited the province of Palawan, which experienced a budget slash of P3.5 billion under the proposed P3.757-trillion budget for 2019 for having a low absorptive capacity.

The documents showed that the three districts of Palawan only recorded a disbursement rate of 19.05 percent, 15.30 percent, and 29.74 percent, respectively, as of August 31.

The province of Romblon also only had a disbursement rate of 23.30 percent.

Evardone said absorptive capacity and disbursement rate in the document are similar. Disbursements, he said, are payments for work done on projects, making them indicative of the capability of a district to implement such projects.

"How can you justify putting, allocating huge amounts for these districts which cannot implement these projects?" he said.

"Kasi sayang e, kung hindi mo gagamitin yung pondo babalik sa national treasury. Inutang yan ng national government with interests, walang productive side, sayang," he added.

On Tuesday last week, the House of Representatives, convening as Committee of the Whole, approved the realignment of around P52 billion from the budget of the DPWH to fund programs of other agencies.

Negros Occidental Representative Alfredo Benitez pointed out that the President's National Expenditure Program (NEP) is not always what is found in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

"I'm sure, kapag sinubmit ang NEP, hindi naman nagiging final GAA 'yan, nagpapalit talaga 'yan," he said.

"So what we do from the time it is submitted to the time we have our final General Appropriations Act, there are a lot of movements. And this is just the process that we are undergoing," he added. — BM, GMA News