ONLY around 30 to 35 percent of priorities identified by Regional Development Councils (RDCs) are eventually reflected in the General Appropriations Act (GAA), according to the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DepDev).
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said the share remains low as the government seeks to better connect regional investment priorities with the national budget process.
‘Of the RDC priorities identified at the various regional levels, of those priorities, about 30 to 35 percent [are] reflected in the GAA… so it’s a bit low,’ Balisacan said on Monday.
He said raising the proportion to around 66 percent would already represent a ‘major improvement.’
The issue was raised during the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) briefing amid questions over how projects endorsed through the local and regional planning process are eventually selected for inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Budget Secretary Kim Robert C. de Leon said that under the proposed 2027 budget, expenditure ceilings are currently set only at the department or agency level.
This means agency central offices determine which projects are ultimately included in their proposals submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), even after projects have gone through the RDC process.
RDCs are tasked with reviewing and endorsing priority programs and projects in their respective regions.
De Leon said RDCs are required to accomplish Budget Form C to establish that proposals submitted for consideration have gone through regional vetting.
He acknowledged, however, that completing the requirement alone does not ensure that projects eventually included in the NEP are aligned with priorities identified at the regional level.
DBM and DepDev are now working to improve the linkage between investment programming and budget preparation, including by harmonizing their respective calendars and submission portals.
De Leon said one option under consideration is to issue agency budget ceilings earlier in the process.
If implemented, agency central offices could use the ceilings to provide RDCs with indicative amounts that may be allocated to each region before budget proposals are finalized.
This could give regional councils a clearer idea of the amount available when identifying and prioritizing projects for inclusion in agency submissions.
The proposed changes are among the measures being considered for succeeding budget cycles as DepDev and DBM seek to increase the share of regional priorities reflected in the national budget.