Infra spending hits lowest level in Nov

Government spending for infrastructure dropped to a year-low in November last year even after state agencies were ordered to catch up on their expenses to boost economic growth.

- LOUISE MAUREEN SIMEON

Based on the latest national government disbursement performance report of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), state infrastructure expenditure and other capital outlays slipped by almost 30 percent to just P56.7 in November from P80.2 billion in the same period in 2022.

This is the lowest infrastructure expense level recorded so far for 2023 and also the first time since April that the spending item fell below the P100-billion mark.

The decline in spending came even after the Marcos administration's economic team moved to expedite its public spending, particularly on infrastructure projects, by directing agencies to put into action their catch-up plans.

The catch-up plan was implemented in the second semester of 2023 after gross domestic product (GDP) growth disappointed in the first half, largely due to the low budget utilization of various state agencies.

Government spending is around 20 percent of GDP.