DBM on unspent trillions: Ask gov't agencies

Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Wendel Avisado on Thursday tossed to government agencies the task of explaining the unspent funds from the national budget which have averaged to a trillion from 2016 to 2018.

Avisado was reacting to the data from the Commission on Audit (COA) that showed that P949 billion worth of government funds was unused in 2018, P1.233 trillion in 2017 and P1.074 trillion in 2016 when President Rodrigo Duterte took office.

“Probably, the ones who can be more competent to answer that are the departments concerned,” the Cabinet official said at a news conference when asked for comment on the COA findings.

“Kasi po once we have released the funds to the respective departments, it is their duty and responsibility to manage and spend it in accordance with the purpose intended.”

Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte directed the adoption of the cash budgeting system in government to speed up the implementation of programs and to promptly deliver goods and services to the people.

Under cash budgeting, the validity of budget appropriations was reduced to one year with no carry-over provision except for a three-month extended payment period within the following fiscal year to allow agencies to settle payments for goods and services delivered.

Any unreleased appropriations and unobligated allotments at the end of the fiscal year as well as unpaid obligations and undisbursed funds will be reverted to the national treasury, according to Duterte’s Executive Order 91 signed in September last year.

The funds will not be available for expenditure unless authorized by law.

The government is eyeing a P4.506-trillion budget for 2021.—LDF, GMA News