Press Statement of Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Ralph G. Recto

2 September 2022

’Budget Errata’ can cure Unprogrammed Fund gray areas

We look forward to DBM’s submission of the details of the Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA). As I have said many times, the present DBM leadership’s commitment to transparency is laudable.

One customary way of informing Congress and at the same time publicly disclosing the projects and programs to be funded under the UA is through the submission of a Budget Errata.

As it stands now, there is nothing in the 3,842-page, three-volume National Expenditure Program for 2023 which lists down the individual projects and programs to be funded by the two biggest items in the UA: the P380.6 billion “Support to Foreign Assisted Projects” and the P149.7 billion “Support for Infrastructure Projects and Social Programs.”

As these form part and parcel of the 2022 budget request, and may be funded when the revenue triggers are met, it would be in the public interest to divulge the activities sought to be financed by these huge allocations. 

It is fair to assume that during the budget preparation phase, the P380.6 billion and P149.7 billion were figures not plucked out of thin air but were based on actual requests which were rigorously scrutinized by the DBM. 

There is actually one template which the DBM can follow in itemizing the two UA lump sums. 

This is the meticulous listing of projects – nature, amount, location – in the proposed P22.9 billion Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP) fund for 2023.

That is the template that showcases DBM’s competency and professionalism, 45 pages of fine print that meets all disclosure standards. That is the template that the UA must follow.

Like the HFEP, the P380.6 billion “Support to Foreign Assisted Projects” and the P149.7 billion “Support for Infrastructure Projects and Social Programs” are capital outlays. 

These do not fall under the unforeseeable and contingent expenditures which cannot be determined in advance.

I trust that most of the programs under the UA are laudable, so there should be no problem on the DBM’s part to disclose their details in full.