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The Department of Budget and
Management reported a much lower actual disbursement last year than
its money releases in 2005 due to several factors.
The DBM said
full-year disbursements for 2006 amounted to P1.04 billion, lower by
P58.1 billion than the P1.1 billion that the government initially
programmed.
“The actual
disbursements accounted for only about 94.7 percent of the full-year
program,” Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. said.
He said that
the relatively lower percentage of spending is partly due to the
nonpassage of the 2006 General Appropriations Act, delayed passage
of the supplemental appropriations bill and late implementation of
the rationalization program.
Likewise, the
government generated savings from interest payments of about P30
billion due to the lower than projected foreign-exchange rate (of
P51.30 to a dollar from P56.00 to a dollar) and interest rates (of
5.35 percent from 5.5 percent).
Compared to
the program, actual full-year disbursements were lower by P58.1
billion, or 5.3 percent.
Personal
services also incurred much lower spending—by P15.1 billion, or
4.4 percent, due to the delayed implementation of the
rationalization program as well as the lower releases for the
settlement of retirement gratuities and terminal leave, Andaya said.
This level is
about 95.5 percent of the program, much lower than the ratio posted
in 2005 of about 100 percent.
The government
spent P3.5 billion for maintenance and this figure is 3.4 percent
lower than the previous year’s budget due to the nonpassage of the
GAA. However, this ratio is higher than the 93 percent posted in
2005 because of the pump priming efforts carried out in early
2006.
 --Angelo
S. Samonte
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