The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has issued the national budget call for fiscal year 2025, as guidance for the preparation of next year’s budget.
In a memorandum addressed to all heads of various departments and agencies, the DBM said the government will continue to foster sound economic interventions and strategies with the goal to fulfill the plans, policies and directions of the current administration.
“The proposed national budget and its priorities shall be anchored on the national government’s commitment to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. With six
years remaining until the 2030 Agenda, there is a need to accelerate the progress or reverse the negative trends to achieve the global goals of establishing a transformative vision towards economic, social and environmental sustainability,” the memo said.
“The 2025 budget aims to continuously address the socioeconomic issues our country has been facing, e.g., high food prices, increasing fuel prices, and the scars that the pandemic has left, among others; support infrastructure investments given its multiplier effect in boosting the Philippine economy; adapt with the emerging global trends on digital transformation thereby fostering bureaucratic efficiency as well as effective and transparent service delivery; and harmonize linkages between local and national concerns, focused on striking a balance on the geographical budgetary needs of rural or urban areas in the regions aside from the National Capital Region while enabling our local counterparts through capacity development,” it added.
The DBM said that as it is fully aware of the impact of the country’s debt burden and the competing demands of government agencies, the allocation of the 2025 budget will be optimized.
“As part of the evaluation process, the government will consider how the agencies utilized their previous year budget and the implementation progress of their mandated programs and projects to ensure that only those agency proposals, which are implementation-ready, are included in the budget,” the memo said.
“This means that the agencies are expected to provide the relevant supporting documents, e.g., concrete program plans and designs that outline key procurement and implementation milestones, including specific project locations and beneficiaries, among others,” it added.
The memo also discusses in detail the expenditure management framework, department and agency budget levels, and general and specific submission requirements.
Meanwhile, in a separate statement yesterday, the DBM said that the issuance of Special Allotment Release Orders in the total amount of P550 million to cover the funding requirements for the Out-Patient Department (OPD) Building of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) has been approved.
The funds will be used for the construction and expansion of NKTI’s OPD Building, which is designed to be a one-stop shop for the hospital’s social services, including diagnostic and surgical facilities.
Specializing in the treatment and prevention of kidney and allied diseases, the NKTI amplifies its capabilities through the construction of the proposed eight-storey OPD Building.
The facility will provide areas for the expansion of outpatient services of the hospital with a total cost of P1.331 billion. Angela Celis
