CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Department of Budget and Management (DBM) 3 Director Elisa Salon disclosed on Thursday local government units (LGUs) and government offices and departments should maximize the ‘one fund concept’ in using budget allocated from the national budget.
This was presented during the Regional Development Council-3 Sectoral Committee on Social Development (RDC-SCSD) Dialogue with Regional-line Agencies held at the Executive House, Capitol Compound here.
In her presentation, Salon said that the one fund concept will make the liquidation easier for the agencies concerned especially that if the appropriations for this year are not utilized, these will be automatically reverted to the national treasury according to the conditional veto of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“For example, the Department of Education is mutating two Modified Disbursement Scheme accounts; one for the Personnel Services (PS), and one for the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE). Ngayon, ‘pag may kulang ang MOOE, basta may cash ka pa gamitin mo. ‘Pag kulang ang PS gamitin mo kung may sobra ka pa sa MOOE. Hindi na po yan magkahiwalay na nirerelease ng DBM,” she said.
Meanwhile, RDC-SCSD Chairman Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda adviced the agencies concerned to hasten the expenditures for faster implementation of programs and projects in the region.
“Kailangan bilisan. Kailangan ma-implement lahat para wala nang sagabal na underspending tayo, na hindi tayo nakakagastos. Huwag na nating ulitin yung dati kasi mabilis na yung panahon ngayon at kailangan nang magtrabaho ng magtrabaho,” she added.
Also present in the dialogue were Former President now Second District Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, NEDA-3 Regional Director Severino Santos, Bulacan Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado, and various member agencies of SCDC. –PHILIP OCAMPO