DESPITE the series of storms that battered the country, most government agencies still ramped up their budget spending, with the utilization rate up from a year earlier.
According to the 2024 report on the utilization of Notices Cash Allocation (NCA), the national government, local governments and state-owned enterprises utilized P4.26 trillion out of the total P4.52 trillion worth of NCAs issued by the end of July.
This resulted in P258.24 billion remaining as unutilized funds.
The utilization rate was higher than the 93 percent rate recorded in the same period last year but remained at the same level recorded in October.
NCAs represent a quarterly authorization granted by the DBM to organizations, enabling them to access funds from the Bureau of the Treasury to fulfill their expenditure requirements.
At the end of November, departments used P3.18 trillion, or 93 percent of their allotments, leaving P255.42 billion unused.
No agency achieved a 100-percent utilization rate, the DBM said.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development emerged as one of the top-performing agencies, maintaining a 99-percent utilization rate.
This was followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of National Defense, utilizing 95 percent of their budget.
While many departments performed well, some lagged in fund usage.
The Department of Agriculture utilized only 60 percent of its allocation.
Similarly, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development reported a 64-percent utilization rate.
Economic managers previously stated that the series of storms that hit the country have affected some of the infrastructure projects of the government, resulting in slower government spending.
However, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the rate is expected to improve further, with most agencies to record over 90-percent utilization rate this year.
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