Budget utilization rate hits 92% at end of April

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the cash utilization rate posted by government agencies hit 92% in April.

The National Government (NG), local governments, and government-owned and -controlled corporations used P1.49 trillion worth of notices of cash allocation (NCAs) issued as of the end of April.

It was behind the 93% pace set in April 2024.

An NCA is a cash authority issued by the DBM to central, regional and provincial offices and operating units through government banks to cover the cash requirements of the agencies.

Unused NCAs amounted to P132.41 billion out of the P1.63 trillion released.

Line departments used 89% of their allotments or P1.07 trillion, with about P129.41 billion remaining.

In April, only the Commission on Audit had fully utilized all of its NCAs. This was followed by the Office of the Vice-President and the Department of Migrant Workers, which used 99% of their cash.

Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Department of Agriculture both had the lowest utilization rate at 66%.

Budgetary support to government-owned companies was 98% used, while the corresponding rate for local government units was 100%.

Government agencies utilized P371.75 billion, posting a 92% usage rate in April. This was lower than the 99% utilization rate in March.

In the first quarter, government spending rose 18.7%, against the 2.6% posted a year earlier and 9% in the fourth quarter. The growth rate was the strongest since the second quarter of 2020.

The NG frontloaded infrastructure spending ahead of the 45-day election ban on public works that started on March 28.

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said disbursements “tend to pick up strongly” in May and June as construction activity peaks. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante