THE budget utilization rate of government agencies slowed to 97.7 percent in December last year, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
This was lower than its 99-percent spending rate in the same period in 2024.
Data from the 2025 Notices of Cash Allocation (NCAs) report showed that the national government, local governments and state-owned corporations have used P4.85 trillion of the P4.96 trillion of total NCAs issued by the DBM by the end of December.
NCAs allow government agencies to access funds from the Bureau of the Treasury for their respective expenditure requirements.
Government departments have utilized P3.57 trillion, or 97 percent, of their allotted funds, leaving about P112.09 billion unused from their total P3.68 trillion allocation. The rate was lower than the 98 percent in 2024.
Only the Judiciary and the office of the Ombudsman recorded 100 percent utilization rate.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Vice President utilized 99.9 percent of its budget, as well as the Departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In contrast, several agencies had very low utilization rates, reflecting either slower program rollout or timing issues in disbursement.
The Office of the President had the lowest rate of 66.2 percent, having utilized P10.2 billion of its P15.4 billion budget for the period.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) followed at 72.0 percent, the Department of Energy (DOE) at 72.4 percent and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) at 77.8 percent.
The Marcos administration has spent its entire programmed 2025 national budget — which ballooned from the P6.326 trillion to P6.486 trillion as of end-December, with P160.59 billion in unprogrammed appropriations.
The DBM reported disbursing 97.7 percent or P3.59 trillion of the allocated P3.68 trillion for government departments in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.
For special purpose funds, releases were at 93.6 percent, totaling P495.6 billion of the total P529.6 billion.
The Development Budget Coordination Committee has set a P6.43-trillion disbursement goal for this year, up from 2025’s P6.005 trillion and equivalent to 21.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
