P220 billion added to 2022 budget

MANILA, Philippines — The government has included P220 billion in additional funds on top of the P5.02-trillion national budget for this year, the bulk of which were unprogrammed appropriations.

Latest data from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) showed the adjusted budget for the year has been set at P5.243 trillion as of end-October.

This is over P200 billion above the programmed P5.02 trillion budget.

Of the P5.243 trillion, 97 percent or about P5.084 trillion has been released as of last month.

Of the additional P220.176 billion, 81 percent or P177.9 billion went to unprogrammed appropriations.

Unprogrammed funds, which are a form of standby appropriations, can be triggered when excess revenues are not generated and an item of appropriation is found to be deficient or even non-existent.

Unprogrammed funds are available resource cover that will trigger additional amounts for the national government, especially during calamities or unexpected situations.

Of the unprogrammed appropriations, the biggest chunk at P139 billion went to support foreign-assisted projects of the Departments of Agriculture (DA), Health, Public Works and Highways, and Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Another P25.49 billion was earmarked for infrastructure projects and social programs of the DA, DOTr, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Some P4 billion was allocated to second additional financing for the Philippine Rural Development Project of the DA. Another P1.4 billion was for the fuel subsidy program of the DOTr.

The remaining budget was released to the Department of Agrarian Reform for its parcelization of lands for individual titling, as well as support to the National Food Authority and the Light Rail Transit Authority.

The other P42 billion of the P220 billion additional fund was allotted to other automatic appropriations that included grants, special account in the general fund, military camps sales proceeds fund, and modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The DBM released P3.21 trillion under the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA). This is 96.1 percent of the total P3.34 trillion financing.

Automatic appropriations remained at P1.58 trillion or 93.9 percent of the P1.68 trillion aggregate funding.

Under the 2022 GAA, the DBM said it has distributed 97.8 percent or P2.82 trillion of the P2.88 trillion for departments.

In terms of special purpose funds, 85.2 percent or P389.16 billion has been handed out from the P457 billion.

For automatic appropriations, the government already recorded 100 percent utilization for national tax allotment (P959.04 billion), block grants (P66.96 billion), special account in the general fund (P41.07 billion) and tax expenditures fund (14.5 billion).

Releases for net lending are still at 70.2 percent or P20.15 billion. Allotment for interest payments is also stuck at 81.1 percent or P415.92 billion.

The DBM said the government has spent an extra P2.18 billion on top of the P60.02 billion for retirement and life insurance premiums to cover for new hires.

Further, issuance for the pensions of former presidents or their widows remained at 90 percent or P432,000 of the total P480,000.

For next year, the budget submitted to Congress for approval is 4.9 percent higher at P5.268 trillion.