The national government slightly increased fund disbursements to state agencies by 1.2 percent, recording a higher budget implementation rate, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reported.
As of end-November, budget releases rose to ₱4.574 trillion, up from ₱4.519 trillion during the same period last year, while the utilization rate reached 94.5 percent, slightly higher than last year’s 94 percent. This means ₱4.324 trillion has been spent, with ₱249.78 billion remaining unused.
NCAs, or notices of cash allocation, allow agencies to access funds for programs and projects, and a high utilization rate reflects efficient spending and timely execution of government initiatives.
Line departments, which implement public service programs, received 74.2 percent of total releases amounting to ₱3.393 trillion. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) posted the highest utilization at 99.4 percent, followed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) at 97.5 percent and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) at 95.6 percent.
On the lower end, the Department of Energy (DOE) recorded 62.5 percent utilization, followed by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) at 67.7 percent and the Office of the President (OP) at 68.8 percent.
The remaining ₱1.181 trillion was allocated to special-purpose funds, including budgetary support for government corporations (₱110.1 billion) and allocations to local government units (₱1.07 trillion) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).