THE cash utilization rate posted by government agencies hit 94% at the end of May, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
The National Government, local governments, and government-owned and -controlled corporations used P1.98 trillion worth of notices of cash allocation (NCAs) issued during the period.
The pace was level with the 94% posted in May 2024.
An NCA is a cash authority issued by the DBM to central, regional and provincial offices and operating units through government banks to cover the cash requirements of the agencies.
Unused NCAs totaled P136.23 billion.
Line departments used 92% of their allotments or P1.45 trillion, with about P131.58 billion remaining.
By the end of May, only the Office of the Vice-President and the Commission on Audit had fully utilized all of their NCAs.
This was followed by the departments of Foreign Affairs and Migrant Workers, which used 99% of their cash.
Meanwhile, the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the Congress of the Philippines posted the lowest utilization rates of 61% and 68%, respectively.
Budgetary support to government-owned companies was 96% used, while the corresponding rate for local government units was 99%.
In May, government agencies utilized P484.63 billion, posting a 94% usage rate. This was higher than the 92% utilization rate in April.
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman has said that the proposed national budget for 2026 amounted to P6.793 trillion, which if passed would be 7.4% higher than this year’s P6.352 trillion. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante