DILG opts for ‘bottoms-up’ budgeting of LGUs

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippine—Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said Monday that the agency is working on a program which will use the inputs of local government units as basis for the national budget planning.

Speaking to reporters, Roxas said the program dubbed “Bottoms-up Budgeting” will be used by government agencies as “starting point” in crafting the government budget by giving local leaders the chance to speak up for the specific needs of their municipality.

“With the Bottoms-up Budgeting, the LGU’s will determine their needs. They will have the say on which programs should be suited for their locality. This will be consolidated and transmitted to the national government agencies,” Roxas said, adding that the new approach is set to be used for the 2014 budget process.

The scheme, Roxas said, will be among the responsibilities to be handled by newly appointed Interior Undersecretary Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, who is also tasked to look into the urban poor and other sectoral concerns.

Roxas said the scheme aims to ensure that programs of the national government are fitting for the needs of local government units, and “not something that is imposed on them.”

Roxas said Transportation and Communications Undersecretary Rafael “Paeng” Santos will also join him in the department.