The Duterte administration’s budget deficit breached the P1 trillion mark in November due to higher spending and lower revenues amid the coronavirus-induced economic recession, data from the Bureau of the Treasury revealed.

The national government incurred a P1.069 trillion fiscal gap in January to November this year, way more than double compared with only P409.1 billion in the same period last year, the treasury reported.

The 11-month deficit, however, only made up 59 percent of the P1.815 trillion revised full-year program set by President Duterte’s economic managers.

In November alone, the government’s budget deficit hit P128.3 billion, double the P60.9 billion incurred in the previous year.

“The national government’s budget deficit climbed… in November 2020 as public spending rebounded by 2.3 percent while government collection dropped by 19.35 percent,” the treasury said in a statement.

Revenue collection last month slid by 19 percent year-over-year to P245.8 billion from P304.7 billion. Of the total, 96 percent was raised through taxes, while the remaining 4.0 percent was generated from non-tax collections.

At end-November, the revenue haul of P2.617 trillion also lagged behind by 12 percent the P2.894 trillion generated in the same period a year ago, but already breached the P2.52 trillion revised full-year target by four percent.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) collection reached P191.7 billion in November, 17 percent lower compared with P232.1 billion.

Total BIR collection in the first 11-months, on the other hand, already exceeded the revised full-year goal of P1.686 trillion by 6 percent to P1.788 trillion, but still 11 percent below last year’s same period tally of P2.013 trillion.

Likewise, the Bureau of Customs exhibited a contraction in collection by 13 percent in November to P43.7 billion from P50.4 billion a year ago.

Customs’ cumulative uptake of P492.3 billion in the January to November period also decreased by 15 percent from the P578.1 billion raised in the comparable period a year ago.

As of November, Customs has already reached 97 percent of its revised full-year target amounting to P506.2 billion.

Meanwhile, government spending rose to P374.1 billion last month, but mainly due to subsidy release to the Land Bank of the Philippines for the implementation of the unconditional cash transfer program.

Expenditures were also pushed by financial aid to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., or PhilHealth, for the national health insurance program, as well as equity to other state-owned firms for their COVID-19 assistance or lending programs in line with the Bayanihan law.

The November spending brought the government’s 11-month total to P3.686 trillion, up 11 percent from P3.303 trillion a year ago.

According to the treasury, higher spending this year was backed by various COVID-19 financial assistance and recovery measures.

However, cumulative spending still fell short of the revised program for the period owing to the delayed implementation of some measures under the Bayanihan 2.