Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman during a Malacañang Palace briefing on Aug. 22, 2023. (Photo by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net)
MANILA, Philippines —Among the lowest-spending government agencies are the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Commission on Elections (Comelec), and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday.
The information came up after Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to address government underspending.
The other government agencies with low spending are the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Energy (DOE).
Pangandaman listed the agencies’ obligation rates — the commitment of funds for specific uses — as of June 30 as follows:
- DICT: 9.2%
- Comelec: 26.1%
- DAR: 28.9%
- DSWD: 34.2%
- DOE: 34.3%
Their obligation rates are low, Pangandaman pointed out. That means, only a small part of their funds that already have a special allotment release order (SARO) have been obligated for specific uses.
Pangandaman said that agencies that underspend could have their future budgets affected.
She added, however, that the mentioned government agencies had already pledged to fast-track the implementation of their projects.
All in all, Pangandaman said that the government was not able to spend a total of P170.5 billion for the first quarter of the year. The DBM has since sent out a circular directing all government agencies to provide their catchup plans.
The DBM is currently working on proposed changes to the Government Procurement Act. Among those are to diversify procurement methods, to make the procurement process more efficient, and to pursue digitalization, Pangandaman said.