DBM Undersecretary Janet Abuel
MANILA – A Department of Budget and Management (DBM) executive said formulating the proposed 2021 national budget will be challenging because 2022 is an election year, but said they will do everything to avert any problem.
DBM Undersecretary Janet Abuel told journalists Tuesday afternoon that officials of the various government agencies have been informed to prepare their budget proposals since January and were told to meet the deadlines.
She said officials were also asked to ensure that all concerned units will be consulted, including regional development councils (RDCs), “to be able to come up with the overall department budget proposal”.
She added there would be two-tiered approach on the budget evaluation, with the first one to cover the recurring expenses like the personnel services (PS) and the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE).
Tier 2 would involve the more important ones like the projects or programs that will need higher budgets, or will be new features in next year’s budget, she said.
With the commitment to meet the deadlines, Abuel is confident they will be able to submit the budget proposal on time.
She said priority programs for next year will remain those that focus on human capital development and the Build, Build, Build program.
“We also know that 2021 is the budget before the election (year) so we see also some challenges that we might face,” she added. “Hopefully, we'll be able to try to prevent them…but it's more on the part where we have already submitted the budget to Congress.”
Abuel said the executive level is hopeful that it will not see any problem or constraints.
She considers the change of leadership in House of Representatives’ Appropriation Committee as among the challenges in the future budget proposals, but said DBM Secretary Wendel Avisado is expected to meet the new leaders “very soon”.
“From the end of the DBM, what is important to us is we're able to reflect the President's budget, the true President's budget. Because if you have the backing or the support of the President then, it would be it would be easier to defend (the budget proposal) in Congress,” she added. (PNA)
