The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released Php3.130 trillion, or 85.5 percent of the PhP3.662 trillion Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 obligation program, as of June 30, 2019.

Allotment releases to the line departments reached PhP1.882 trillion. These include funds allocated for agencies in the Executive branch, Congress, the Judiciary, and other constitutional offices.

In addition, fund releases from Special Purpose Funds (SPFs) amounted to PhP159.8 billion.

Special Purpose Funds (SPFs) are budgetary allocations in the GAA allocated for specific socio-economic purposes such as Budgetary Support to Government Corporations, Allocation to Local Government Units, Contingent Fund, Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, and Pension and Gratuity Fund.

The immediate release of funds by the DBM will ensure that national government agencies are able to swiftly implement their programs and projects, such as the construction of new roads, schools, and hospitals, and the protection and promotion of the welfare of the poor and marginalized sectors, among others.

Allotment releases for automatic appropriations reached PhP1.055 trillion, or 98.4 percent of the FY 2019 program for automatic appropriations. 

Said release includes 100 percent of the FY 2019 program for the Retirement and Life Insurance Program, Internal Revenue Allotment, Pension of Ex-President/Ex-President Widows, Net Lending, and Interest Payments.

Automatic appropriations refer to appropriations programmed annually or for some other period prescribed by law. 

The DBM has also released PhP8.4 billion as of end-June  from the continuing appropriations of the 2018 GAA, comprising releases for line departments and releases from SPFs.

Continuing appropriations refer to appropriations available to support obligations for a specified purpose or project, such as multi-year construction projects which require the incurrence of obligations beyond one fiscal year. 

Moreover, unprogrammed appropriations in the amount of PhP24.1 billion have been released for the foreign-assisted projects of the Department of Transportation, and for the payment of pension adjustments of the Military and Uniformed Personnel (MUP) under the Armed Forces of the Philippines - General Headquarters (AFP-GHQ), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).  

Unprogrammed appropriations are standby appropriations which authorize additional agency expenditures for priority programs and projects when revenue collections exceed the resource targets or when additional grants or foreign funds are generated.

Allotments for other automatic appropriations, amounting to PhP1.2 billion, have also been released. 

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TABLE 1: Status of FY 2019 Budget