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MANILA – The Department of Budget and Management is gunning for the passage of the government’s 2013 spending bill no later than December this year.
If successful, then this would be the second year in a row of record passage of the General Appropriations Act.
Before 2011, the last spending bill that was enacted on time was the 1999 national budget, which was signed into law on December 30, 1998.
DBM Secretary Florencio Abad said the Executive will submit to Congress the proposed P2.006 trillion budget for 2013 on Tuesday, or a day after President Benigno Aquino III’s State-of-the-Nation Address.
By submitting the proposed budget right after the SONA, the Aquino administration is showing its commitment to ensure the early enactment of the spending bill, Abad said.
“Last year, the administration and Congress worked together to ensure that the 2012 budget becomes law by 15 December 2011: the earliest budget enactment since the restoration of our democracy. We look forward to repeating that historical feat,” Abad said.
“This proposed Empowerment Budget prioritizes funding for programs and projects that have impact in unshackling the poor from poverty and in reducing poverty incidence to 16.6 percent by 2016. President Aquino has directed us to take bold steps in closing key social service delivery gaps—in classrooms, teachers, health insurance subsidies, rural health facilities, etc.—by 2013,” the DBM chief said.
“He also instructed us to build on our economic achievements so far, such as the 6.4-percent gross domestic product growth in the first quarter of 2012, by investing in the foundations of rapid, inclusive and sustained growth. With this, we are funding the attainment of rice self-sufficiency by next year, the pavement of all national roads by 2014 and all secondary roads by 2016, the arrival of 5.53 million tourists by next year and 10 million by 2016, among others,” Abad said.
The DBM chief said the budgetary allocations of social services at P698.8 billion and economic services sector at P5.11.1 billion have cornered 60.3 percent and will support the achievement of medium-term goals.
The proposed 2013 spending bill consists of P1.251 trillion in Programmed New Appropriations for national government operations, programs and projects; and P755.2 billion in Automatic Appropriations for debt servicing, local government allocations and others.
Legislative action and approval will be sought for Programmed New Appropriations as well as for P177.5 billion in Unprogrammed Appropriations, or standby spending authority which the government may only use in the event that its revenues exceed targets.
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