MANILA, Philippines — Despite agencies’ underspending of funds intended for COVID-19 response, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Friday said all budgets set aside for 2021 needed to be spent within the year and cannot be used as election kitty.
The DBM said the same was true with the about P160-billion for-later-release appropriations in the P4.51-trillion 2021 national budget, which some senators alleged could be realigned into the administration’s campaign war chest for next year’s presidential polls.
Speaking before a virtual forum ahead of President Rodrigo Duterte’s final state of the nation address (SONA), Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said the COVID-19 res…
Keep on reading: Agencies blamed for underspending of COVID-19 funds