Government urged to accelerate spending

WITH only one month left in 2018, the minority bloc at the House of Representatives urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to speed up the disbursement of funds for various government projects.

According to the bloc, as of August 2018, the government had spent only P2.19 trillion out of the P3.767-trillion national budget.

“This merely amounts to almost 60 percent of the budget with only four months left to the year,” noted House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez.

Suarez said the rising unemployment can be correlated with the slow government spending.

The latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, conducted on September 15 to 23, showed that unemployment rose to 22 percent, or an estimated 9.8 million adults.

The figure was higher than the 19.7 percent in June 2018, but lower than the 23.9 percent in March 2018.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has questioned the SWS survey results.

The latest unemployment data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) covered April 2018. The jobless rate that month was reported at 5.5 percent, or an estimated 2.4 million workers.

Suarez said higher government spending would translate to an increase in employment.

“As government spends its money through its programs and projects, especially in infrastructure, more jobs become available since more workers are needed to implement such projects," he said.

“Moreover, government expenditure also generates and encourages businesses, thereby fueling the country’s economic growth,” Suarez added.

The minority bloc urged agencies to strictly monitor the accomplishment of their projects and programs, considering that the government will be adopting cash-based budgeting scheme in 2019. (SunStar Philippines)

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