FILE PHOTO: Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, presents to the members of the Senate committee on finance the highlights of the proposed P5.268 trillion 2023 national budget. (Joseph Vidal / Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Government agencies that fail to utilize their budgets fully may face cuts in the future, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman warned on Monday.
In an ambush interview during the Stratbase ADR Institute鈥檚 Pilipinas Conference, the DBM chief was asked what her department will do if government agencies do not utilize their 2023 budgets before 2024.
鈥淐ut. Babawasan po natin 鈥榶ung budget nila (we will reduce their budget),鈥� she said.
Pangandaman was also asked about the , which, according to her, was still within the government鈥檚 target.
鈥淭he agencies now are trying to use the money, utilize it, even more, better just to be able to implement their projects, unlike before. Maybe it鈥檚 also a reason because the economy is open, and then we鈥檙e trying to push for them. Because if they don鈥檛 use their money, lagot sila,鈥� she said.
Pangandaman also mentioned the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) as an example, explaining that the agency鈥檚 budget is low because they still have a leftover budget from previous years.
鈥淕iven our really small fiscal space, we need to instill discipline in our national government agencies. Put the money dun sa mga (to those) agencies that can really implement them,鈥� the DBM chief pointed out.
The DICT previously came under fire for its low-budget utilization.
During hearings on its proposed 2023 budget at the House of Representatives, the DICT came under fire for its low budget utilization prompting its head, Secretary Ivan John Uy, to call it 鈥�pitiful.鈥�
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