DICT seeks to boost budget spending to 70% by year end

Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy. (Senate PRIB file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Information, Communication and Technology (DICT) wants to increase its rate of budget utilization to 70 percent by end of 2023.

This plan was laid out by DICT Secretary Ivan Uy in an ambush interview in Malacañang.

“May ano na kami, catch-up plan. So we’ll be hitting…. By end of the year, we’ll be hitting about 70 percent or more,” Uy said

(We have a catch-up plan. So we’ll be hitting… By the end of the year, we’ll be hitting about 70 percent or more.)

Uy said DICT will scale up its use of applications (apps) or software programs to perform specific functions that will make government services more accessible.

These include e-Gov Super App, e-visa, e-Report, and e-LGU (local government unit) apps.

“The remaining part of this year and next year is what we call scaling. Meaning, it will be rolled out to more and more areas,” Uy said.

“So marami pa kami naka in store there. So double time po on our digitalization journey,” he added.

(So there is a lot in-store there. )

Department of Budget and Management previously called the attention of DICT because the department has one of the lowest utilization rates among government agencies.

The department has spent only 5.6 percent of its budget for this year.

It shares this rank for underspending with Commission on Elections and Department of Agrarian Reform.

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