Infrastructure spending declines for fifth straight month in Nov.

Government infrastructure spending fell further in November as the flood control project scandal continued to unfold, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

Infrastructure and capital outlays plunged by 45.2 percent in November to P48.0 billion from P87.6 billion a year earlier, and the DBM said “the spending performance of the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) continued to post negative growth amid the ongoing probe and crackdown on corruption issues.”

“This consequently slowed down the implementation of its various infrastructure projects nationwide and affected the prompt submission of progress billings by contractors and processing of payment claims,” it added.

The scandal broke after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in July that substandard projects had led to massive flooding in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

It has led to a shake-up at the DPWH, leadership changes in Congress and a Cabinet revamp that cost Amenah Pangandaman her post as Budget secretary.

Those directly involved in the scandal, however, have yet to be jailed and the impact on spending and sentiment has yet to dissipate despite government promises of reforms.

Infrastructure and capital outlays were also lower year to date, falling by 16 percent to P991.1 billion from P1.18 trillion in January-November 2024.

“Infrastructure spending was weighed down significantly by the contraction of DPWH’s disbursements during the period in the wake of flood control corruption issues,” the DBM said.

“On the other hand, subsidies were lower year on year owing to minimal requests for subsidy releases by the National Irrigation Administration given their available cash holdings,” it added.

The department also said that funding for the National Health Insurance Program was charged against Philippine Health Insurance Corp.’s operating budget, which contributed to the spending drop.

About P140.4 billion remained available for release from the regular budgets of departments (P97.7 billion), special purpose funds (P42.6 billion) and automatic appropriations as of Nov. 30, 2025.

This was despite the 2025 obligation program of P6.33 trillion already having been exceeded following additional releases from continuing, automatic and unprogrammed appropriations.

The release of the remaining funds depends on the agencies concerned submitting special budget requests and required documents, which will be reviewed by the DBM

Based on preliminary data, around P74.3 billion in allotments was released in December, which could have supported government spending toward the end of 2025.

Source: Manila Times

Infrastructure spending rebounds in June

State spending on infrastructure bounced back in June, as disbursements for public works projects resumed after the election ban was lifted in early May, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

In its latest disbursement report on Thursday, the DBM reported that expenditure on infrastructure and other capital outlays increased by 6.5% to P148.8 billion in June from P139.7 billion in the same month last year.

Month on month, it increased by 20.2% from P123.8 billion.

This came after the month of May saw an annual 9.2% decline.

“This was largely attributed to the recovery of DPWH’s (Department of Public Works and Highways) spending performance following a two-month decline in April and May amid the election ban,” it said.

The Commission on Elections’ 45-day ban on public works spending started on March 28 and ended with the May 12 elections.

In June, the DPWH resumed payments for mobilization fees as well as made progress payments for newly awarded projects. It also settled outstanding obligations from previous years.

However, the DBM noted the pace of infrastructure spending was tempered by base effects from substantial releases for the Department of National Defense’s Revised Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program in June last year.

The Philippines has been ramping up its military capacity under the $35-billion military modernization program since 2012 in response to rising tensions in the South China Sea.

The DBM said big-ticket releases for infrastructure are expected in the second half of the year.

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman earlier explained that disbursements are expected to pick up toward the latter part of May to June after the 45-day election ban is lifted.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said that increased infrastructure spending is crucial for economic growth.

“(This will translate to) more inclusive economic growth and development, as better infrastructure boosts the economy’s productivity, as well as help attract more foreign tourists and more foreign investments/locators,” Mr. Ricafort said in a Viber message on Thursday.

For the first half of 2025, overall infrastructure and capital outlays disbursements inched up by 1.4% to P620.2 billion from P611.8 billion in the same period last year.

This was 0.1% or P800 million below the P621-billion program for the first semester.

“Although infrastructure expenditures posted a notable 20.8% (P45-billion) annual growth in first quarter this year, it contracted by 9.3% (P36.6 billion) in second quarter amid the election-related prohibition on public spending covering the entire month of April up to the first two weeks of May,” the DBM said.

Meanwhile, overall infrastructure disbursements, which include infrastructure components of subsidy or equity to government corporations and transfers to local government units, were flat at P720.3 billion in the January-to-June period from P720.5 billion a year ago.

It also exceeded the overall infrastructure spending program of P718-billion for the first half by 0.3%.

The DBM said growth in infrastructure transfers to local government units, particularly their development fund equivalent to 20% of the National Tax Allotment, was offset by lower National Government-implemented infrastructure activities and reduced subsidies to state agencies like the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

Subsidies provided to state-run firms stood at P7.45 billion in June, 26.68% down from P10.16 billion a year earlier.

Budgetary support to the NIA plunged by 68.21% in June to P2.39 billion from P7.52 billion in the same period in 2024.

“Nevertheless, the total infrastructure spending for the first semester was registered at 5.3% of GDP (gross domestic product), in line with the 5.3% full-year target for this year,” it added.

Based on the 2026 Budget of Expenditures and Sources, the government set its full-year infrastructure spending program at P1.51 trillion, equivalent to 5.3% of the GDP.

In the following months, the DBM said line agencies are expected to ramp up requests for release of allotments for their programs, activities, and projects in the second semester as implementation activities normalize post-election ban.

“These may also include unutilized cash allocations from the second quarter that line agencies can still request this second semester so they can process payments and make disbursements to suppliers or contractors for completed and delivered goods or rendered services,” it said.

Among the anticipated spending drivers for the succeeding months are progress billings from multiple finished or partially completed road and transport infrastructure projects and releases for defense modernization program.

“Increased infrastructure spending at around 5%-6% of GDP for the coming years, as also seen in recent years, would still lead to sustained growth in infrastructure spending,” Mr. Ricafort said.

Source: Business World

Infrastructure spending declines by 28% in April

Spending on infrastructure slumped in April due to the election ban on disbursements for public works projects, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

In its latest disbursement report on Tuesday, the DBM reported that spending on infrastructure and other capital outlays declined by 27.8% to P85.8 billion in April from P118.9 billion in the same month last year.

“This was due mostly to the muted infrastructure spending of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), resulting from election-related prohibition on public spending for specific activities, goods, or services, as well as lower volume of contractor billings,” the DBM said.

Government agencies likely frontloaded and accelerated the implementation of infrastructure projects earlier this year, the DBM said.

The Commission on Elections implemented a 45-day ban on the release, disbursement or expenditures of public funds from March 28 to May 11.

The elections were held on May 12.

The DBM also attributed the decline in infrastructure spending to lower direct payments for foreign-assisted rail projects of the Department of Transportation, as well as the releases for local counterpart funds.

These rail projects include the South Commuter Railway Project and the Metro Manila Subway Project.

For the first four months of the year, infrastructure spending rose by 3.6% to P347.6 billion from P335.7 billion in the same period in 2024.

The DBM attributed the increase in infrastructure spending to the “robust spending performance of the DPWH for the implementation of various infrastructure projects, right-of-way settlements, and payment of progress billings (i.e., partially completed works) and accounts payables.”

Meanwhile, overall infrastructure disbursements inched up by 2.4% to P419.4 billion in the January-to-April period from P409.7 billion a year ago.

This includes infrastructure components of subsidy/equity to government corporations and transfers to local government units.

Analysts said infrastructure spending will likely pick up in the next few months.

“We may expect infrastructure spending to continue ramping up to boost the economy both through higher spending and employment in the construction sector, but also better economic activity comes with better infrastructure,” Oikonomia Advisory & Research, Inc. economist Reinielle Matt M. Erece said.

Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman earlier said infrastructure-related disbursements would likely increase after the election ban ended.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael L. Ricafort said government spending, particularly on infrastructure, would be a major contributor to overall economic growth.

“Infrastructure spending has been prioritized and increased in recent years to 5%-6% of GDP (gross domestic product), much higher vs. below 2% of GDP about 20-30 years ago,” he said in a Viber message.

For this year, the government’s infrastructure program is set at P1.538 trillion, equivalent to 5.4% of total output.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee earlier said infrastructure spending will be sustained at 5-6% of GDP annually.

Source: Business World