THE DEPARTMENT of Budget and Management (DBM) said 64.9% of the 2025 national budget had been released by the end of January.
According to the Status of Allotment Releases report, the DBM disbursed P4.1 trillion out of the P6.326-trillion budget for the year, leaving P2.22 trillion undistributed.
The pace of release was behind the 77.9% pace of January 2024.
Of the total released, P2.8 trillion went to government agencies, a category that posted a disbursement rate of 75.9%.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) received 41% or P542.88 billion of its P1.088 trillion allocation.
Meanwhile, P109.23 billion was released to Special Purpose Funds and P1.19 trillion went to automatic appropriations.
Citing preliminary data, the DBM said P6.38 trillion was released at the end of 2024, exceeding the P5.768-trillion budget in 2024.
Government agencies received P3.48 trillion or 99.4% of their planned allocation, with a remaining balance of P20.02 billion.
The Special Propose Fund release rate was 96.7% or P490.92 billion.
Automatic appropriations releases totaled P1.74 trillion, including P71.57 billion for government agencies’ retirement and life insurance premiums, P871.38 billion for the National Tax Allotment, and P70.51 billion for the Block Grant.
The DBM said P531.37 billion was disbursed for unprogrammed appropriations (UA).
About P200.03 billion went to “strengthening assistance for government infrastructure and social programs,” with the DPWH receiving P155.88 billion.
In addition, P127.06 billion was disbursed to support foreign-assisted projects and P56.89 billion to pay personnel benefits.
In a separate report, the DBM said that the combined P21-billion National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund and People’s Survival Fund remained untouched in January. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante
