DBM yet to release order for funds for infra projects

CEBU, Philippines - There has been no Special Allocation Release Order yet coming from the Department of Budget and Management for infrastructure projects covered by the 2011 General Appropriations Act.

Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia, Cebu’s Second District Representative, made the announcement during the Provincial Development Council meeting yesterday following queries of some mayors about the unfinished national projects implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways in their respective localities.

Incidentally, the district engineers of the six District Engineering Offices in Cebu Province were present during the meeting upon the invitation of Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for the e-GWEN Highway project.

Most of the unfinished projects are national roads and bridges, which the engineers said can be attributed to the delay in the release of funds. Some of the projects are in Cordova and Tabuelan while others are in southern Cebu.

Garcia said most of them, the lawmakers in Congress, do not know the reason for not releasing funds despite the money already available. He is hoping that DBM will release the SARO before Congress resumes session on July 25.

If DBM will not issue the SARO until then, Garcia said the House may tackle the matter once session resumes.

Meanwhile, Garcia announced that the proposed legislation to increase the Internal Revenue Allotment share of local government units to 45 percent from the existing 40 percent has been approved at the committee level.

Garcia said the development will be a “tremendous increase” in the IRA once the bill is approved into law.

Included in the proposal is the giving of share to LGUs from the value added tax collected by the Bureau of Customs, but Garcia said officials of the Department of Finance had objected during the committee hearing.

At present, the LGU’s share of IRA is 40 percent while 50 percent goes to national government. –(FREEMAN)