MANILA, Feb. 2 (PNA) — The early enactment of the 2015 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is set to power this year’s public spending courtesy of the National Government’s massive infrastructure programs scheduled for 2015.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said, “Last year’s underspending issue will be addressed by the increase in our infrastructure investments, which is equivalent to four percent of our projected GDP for this year. Ultimately, we’re targeting an infrastructure spending level of five percent by 2016.”
In the 2015 National Budget, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) received the second largest allocation and the highest year-on-year increase — Php303.2 billion or an increase of 37.9 percent from Php219.9 billion last year. Of this total, Php185.8 billion will be allotted for the completion of all national roads by 2016 and all bridges along national roads by 2015.
There are also the major Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects supported by the National Government in the offing, like the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Toll Expressway, the Daang Hari-SLEX Link Project, the NLEX-SLEX Link Connector, the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), the Laguna Lakeshore Expressway Dike (LLED), and the NAIA Expressway.
Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) has a budget of Php59.5 billion — higher by 21.9 percent in 2015 as compared to last year’s budget of Php48.8 billion — from which to fund their own infrastructure programs. These include Php10.6 billion for the improvement of the country’s railway systems (including the rehabilitation and extension of the LRT Lines 1 and 2, and the subsidy for MRT 3), and Php15.4 billion for the various airport and seaport projects.
Lastly, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has a budget of Php89.1 billion for 2015 — higher by 11.5 percent compared to their 2014 budget of Php80 billion — to address a number of agricultural infrastructure programs. With this funding, the DA will be able to construct a number of irrigation projects, farm-to-market roads, and fishery infrastructure projects like fish landings and fish ports.
Abad said, “Drafting a national budget that will support our country’s inclusive development means we must not only sustain the rapid growth of our economy but also improve the quality of life for our people. We can do this by creating employment and livelihood opportunities, and by revitalizing employment-generating industries and connecting towns to growth centers.” (PNA)