Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman urged government agencies (NGA) to fully utilize their budgets for infrastructure projects.
“I urge all NGAs with infra projects to aim for 100 percent budget utilization so that we will sooner see the fruits of our Build Better More Infrastructure Program while we continue to hit our gross domestic product (GDP) targets," Pangandaman said in a statement.
The economic growth, as measured by GDP, grew 6.3 percent in the second quarter of the year, higher compared to 5.8 percent in the first quarter.
The DBM chief attributed this positive growth to disbursements, specifically the government’s final consumption expenditure, wherein government-led construction projects contributed about 2.0 percentage points to the GDP, up from the 0.8 percent performance recorded last year.
She also expressed optimism that the government’s infrastructure spending will boost the country’s GDP growth in the third quarter of 2024.
Infrastructure spending reached P720.5 billion as of end-June, increasing by 18.4 percent compared to P608.6 billion in the same period last year.
This is equivalent to 5.7 percent of GDP and within the 5.0 percent to 6.0 percent infrastructure spending to the GDP target of President Marcos’ term between 2024 and 2028.
“Infrastructure spending and MOOE (maintenance and other operating expenses) will continue to drive disbursements for the remaining months of the year, with 56.1% and nearly 52% of their full-year program, respectively, expected this second semester,” the DBM said.
For 2025, the Marcos administration’s infrastructure priority projects will receive an allocation of P1.507 trillion or 5.2 percent of GDP.
Broken down, the Department of Public Works and Highways is allocated P900.0 billion or 14.2 percent of the proposed national budget, while the Department of Transportation will receive P180.9 billion.
Pangandaman emphasized the government’s commitment to balancing budgets for infrastructure programs.
This includes promoting physical connectivity through investments in road networks (P9.09 billion) and railway systems (P2.28 billion), as well as focusing on the construction and improvement of social infrastructure.
This encompasses investments in school buildings (P38.81 billion), hospitals and health centers (P14.79 billion), water and power supply systems (P11.44 billion), and housing facilities (P2.12 billion), among others.