The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is sanguine about meeting its performance targets this year after having spent over half of its budget thus far.
“With better financial performance in the first half of 2024, we now ask the Congress to support our expenditure proposal for fiscal year 2025,” Transport Secretary Jaime J. Bautista told the House committee on appropriations deliberating the agency’s proposed P180.894 billion budget on Wednesday.
The DOTr has spent 64.89 percent of its 2024 budget with 37.78 percent already obligated as of July 2024.
Bautista reported that the year-on-year obligated and disbursed budget has been highly efficient compared to 2023. This means this much funds have been legally incurred and committed to be paid by the government.
In 2023, the DOTr and its attached agencies received a total P271.360-billion in allotments from various sources. Of the amount, P203.892-billion (or 75.14 percent of allotments) were obligated as of year-end while P144.648-billion (70.94 percent of obligations) were disbursed.
In addition to the disbursement of P144.648 billion, the agency also spent P27.538 billion and P25.139 billion in accounts payable from prior years.
The DOTr is asking Congress P180.8 billion as budget for 2025.
The bulk or 74 percent of its proposed expenditure program in 2025 is for capital outlay, according to Bautista.
He said a big chunk of the agency’s budget will implement big-ticket transport infrastructure projects in railways, aviation, maritime and road sectors.
Bautista said infrastructure development remains a high priority, with the DOTr not only fast-tracking the construction of transport infrastructures but also expanding its other projects.
“With the reported accomplishments and still a long list of projects in the pipeline, we bank on the support of Congress to transform our vision into a reality,” Bautista said.
