The government’s expenditures for infrastructure and other capital outlays saw an 11.1 percent decline in August, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Data released by the DBM showed that infrastructure spending declined to P108.6 billion for the month from the P122.1 billion recorded in the same period a year ago.
The DBM said this was due to lower disbursements recorded in the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The reasons for this include the P22 billion worth of outstanding checks as end-August 2024, up from P17 billion for the same period in August 2023.
These outstanding checks represented payments for progress billings, completed infrastructure works/activities but were not yet encashed by contractors.
There was also delays in the submission of billing documents by contractors which affected the timelines for the processing and release of payments for ongoing projects, while adverse weather conditions slowed down project implementation.
There were also reported adjustments in project timelines, as some major infrastructure projects encountered delays or were re-scheduled.
Capital expenditures were likewise down year-on-year sans the big-ticket releases for local counterpart funds for the various foreign-assisted projects of the Department of Transportation.
Year-to-date, however, infrastructure spending still saw a year-on-year increase of 14.2 percent to P845.3 billion from the P740.3 billion recorded in January to August 2023.
