The chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations on Wednesday reminded government agencies with ongoing infrastructure projects to make sure they avoid election-spending ban that comes with the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in October as well as rainy season delays.
Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co, chairman of the appropriations committee, reminded that spending the national budget could provide jobs to the unemployed Filipinos.
“Last January, the first month of the 2023 General Appropriations Act, the country’s economy had 4.09 million more employed workers than the 43.27 million employed in January 2022. In other words, 4.09 million found work or work found them. They were unemployed before but were no longer jobless last January,” he said.
“These job figures confirm how the economy is recovering from the pandemic, and I credit some of that to the 2022 national budget. Those January 2023 employment figures also serve as a good springboard for this year’s budget to follow through on what last year’s budget was able to restart,” he added.
According to Co, most of the over P5-trillion national budget can give jobs to the unemployed, including the 334,000 construction workers who were jobless in January 2023 because they were not hired during the 2022 year-end seasonal dip in government spending.
“I remind the departments and other agencies with infra funds to obligate and spend those funds this year, and any infra funds obligated last year but not yet spent should also be spent in 2023,” said the lawmaker.
“I also remind all departments and agencies to make sure they avoid the election spending ban that comes with the Barangay and SK Elections in October this year and the rainy season that comes from July to September, while also following the government procurement law and regulations,” he added.
The lawmaker said government agencies should apply lessons learned by improving absorptive capacity and spending in those months where spending and projects could be hampered.
“We are already in the month of March, which means the government agencies have April, May, and June and then from November to December for the infrastructure, and another major spending,” he said.
During the budget hearings, Co said members of Congress kept noting the billions worth of projects and programs delayed and not implemented.
“We should have much fewer delays and non-implementation this year,” he said.
“But the time the 2024 budget hearings get underway next August, we expect accomplishment reports, not apologies and excuses,” Co stressed.