Thread by @znsuzara

HAHAHAHAHA! Way to mislead people about the infrastructure spending to GDP .

This graph from a PIDS study shows which administration actually increased the infra spending.

Hahahaha! Pre-Aquino admin infra spending was the "anemic" one. Tumigil kayo with the half-truths

https://twitter.com/jcpunongbayan/status/1386548179093446656

And look how ACTUAL infra to GDP ratio has deteriorated since 2016? Hahahahahaha!

They were riding on the institutional reforms introduced by former DPWH Secretary Babes Singson. But well, well, well, they failed to meet their own sustain the momentum.

Heck, they couldn't even meet their own targets, better yet stick to those targets.. Hahahaha!

These were their medium-term targets at the start, published in no less than the 2018 People's Budget

These are the revised targets tabulated also based on DBM data.

Of course, they're just gonna say it's either because of COVID or the delayed enactment of the 2019 GAA. But noooo, the truth is they lowered targets because DPWH and DOTr couldn't efficiently spend their funds>

They keep denying that underspending persists because of capacity problems.

But the truth is, the infra spending targets were lowered beginning in 2018 partly because of the cash-based budgeting reform.

Agencies budgets were reduced to levels based on capacity

Look no further than the COA audit reports to find out how DPWH and DOTr fared. What did COA say about DOTr?

In 2017, the DOTr was only able to disburse 25.6% of its funds due to “slow implementation of 144 locally funded and 9 foreign-assisted projects..."

What was the reason for the slow implementation?

It was "due to change in policy directions by political leaders and economic managers, projects put on hold pending decision by top management and delays in procurement”

Source? Page 1, 2017 COA Report on DOTr, Part II

How about DOTr's performance for 2018? COA said DOTr had “undisbursed amount of Php48,364,193,981 [that] is largely attributed to the 175 locally funded and 11 foreign-assisted projects with reported disbursements ranging only from 0-15 percent of the allotted budget.”

What's more, DOTr has an “unutilized balance of Php4.444B” which was “automatically reverted to the National Treasury”.

In other words, hindi nagamit kaya binalik sa Treasury.

Source: Page 34, 2018 COA Report on DOTr, Part II Observations and Recommendations

Build, Build, Build pala ha?

More like branding completed projects as such even though they were obligated (i.e. contracted out) by the previous administration.

COA's remark about the DOTr's performance for those two years was so scathing.

Ito and sabi ng COA: “the attainment of the expected benefits from these [DOTr] projects were delayed”...

But wait, there's more!

Sinabi rin ng COA that the “timely delivery of its [DOTr’s] mandated services, particularly the improvement of road safety by expanding safe, affordable and accessible public transport, was not achieved.”

Let's go to DPWH naman. Hindi naman nalayo sa observations ng COA about DOTr.

Despite improvements in obligation rates, DPWH “deprived the intended beneficiaries of the immediate access to safe and reliable road network systems, school buildings, health facilities...

DPWH also deprived beneficiaries of "reduced vulnerability to flooding” due to the delays and non-implementation of projects.

In 2018, DPWH failed to obligate Php55.9B worth of projects and managed to disburse only Php298.5B or 39.68% of its cash allocation.

COA pa rin iyan

Hahahahaha! It is so laughable their messaging. I should be pissed off kasi bordering on propaganda na ito.

My gosh. Posible bang mag-increase dramatically ang spending kung hindi nag-improve ng capacity those years before they came to power? Syempre hindi.

They kept adjusting their infra targets tapos nag-adjust na nga ng target, hindi pa nasustain ang momentum.
But ang galing mag-PR!

Then again, may COA reports at BESF naman. Gusto nyo ng hard data on the changing targets and actual expenditures. Check nyo ang mga iyan.

P.S.

BESF is short for Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing. It's a document that shows the macroeconomic assumptions and the fiscal program.

It is submitted by the Executive Branch to Congress along with the National Expenditure Program.

You'll find there sectoral disaggregation of the national budget, tax and non-tax revenue sources, loans and grants and also the IRA

BESF data for expenditures is always presented as a 3-year set - i.e., actual, projected for the year and target for the next fiscal year

The macroeconomic assumptions and the specifics of the fiscal program are also presented that way.