Agencies asked to submit report for “uncommitted funds” that can be realigned for COVID-19 response

April 27, 2020

All government agencies under the executive department have been ordered to come up with their respective reports on the still "uncommitted funds," which could be realigned for the government's efforts to address issues relating to coronavirus disease pandemic, Malacanang said on Monday.

The uncommitted funds will be on top of the still P77 billion available fund from the 2019 budget, which could be tapped for the COVID-19 fight, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual press briefing.

He said the deadline for the submission of the reports to the Department of Budget and Management will be by the end of April.

"He (Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado) has issued a memorandum to all the agencies and he was asking of what could still be the uncommitted funds, those which can be used for other purpose. The deadline will be the end of the month of April," he said.

Roque said Avisado did not know yet how much fund could still be available for COVID-19 response.

The spokesman made a statement on the still available fund which the government could tap for COVID-19 crisis after Senator Panfilo Lacson reportedly said that the administration has still P900 billion unspent funds for 2019, which could be used now.

The Palace earlier said that President Rodrigo Duterte may ask Congress to pass a supplemental budget after he further extended and expanded the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and other "high-risk" areas, such as Cebu City and Davao City.

With the ECQ, the government has to provide more food supplies and other assistance, including cash, to the residents, who have been discouraged not to go out and whom many of them have lost their jobs.

Quoting Avisado, Roque said the government has already spent P350 billion for COVID-19-related expenses out of about P400 billion that Congress has approved earlier.

"So as we can see, the fund for COVID-19 (response) is almost used up," he said, adding that if the government would need more funds, it has to ask again congressional approval.

As to the proposal of Lacson to realign some P84 billion, which he considered as pork barrel insertions of lawmakers and was included in the Departments of Transportation and Public Works and Highways budgets, Roque said it would be up to the concerned departments if the fund would be realigned for COVID-19 response.

"So, we leave the decision to (DPWH) Secretary (Mark) Villar if he will realign the fund for the identified projects of our senators and congressmen," he said.

By April 30, he said the Palace would have a "better picture" of how much budget could still be realigned in the efforts against pandemic. Celerina Monte/DMS