PIA Press Release
Monday, January 16, 2012

Aquino sets 2013 Budget preps in motion

“As the President broke ground with the earliest budget signing since our restored democracy, so do we follow suit with the early preparation of the proposed budget for 2013. We are establishing this as the Aquino administration’s new tradition of early budget preparation, so that subsequent national budgets will be enacted and implemented quickly,” Abad said.

The 2013 National Budget Call kicked off on December 29 last year, beginning with the facilitation of the National Budget Fora within the DBM. The fora were conducted on January 16 and 17, with the participation of national government agencies and various government corporations.

“The beginning of the budget preparation process is signaled by the Budget Forum, through which government agencies and departments—as well as government-owned and -controlled corporations—are properly informed of our guidelines and requirements for budget preparation.

“This will strike out ambiguity in the preparation process and encourage all departments to draft their respective budget proposals in a timely, accurate, and compliant manner,” Abad said.

The DBM Budget Fora will set indicative budget ceilings and macroeconomic assumptions that underline the preparation process. As part of the Aquino administration’s commitment to engaging citizen participation in the national budget, the DBM will also initiate consultations with a broad range of civil society organizations.

Abad noted that the 2013 Budget Preparation Exercise will be oriented around the Aquino administration’s five Key Result Areas, identified as the overall reduction of poverty, the establishment of good governance, the improvement of economic services, the strengthening of national security, and the increased focus on climate change and environmental issues.

“The early budget preparation will also flesh out remaining lump-sum funds from agency budgets, fortify the mechanisms of Regional Development Councils, expand civil society engagement, and implement the Administration’s ‘bottom-up’ approach to drafting the budget,” Abad said.

The 2013 budget preparation will also reinforce the government’s public expenditure management reforms by maintaining its focus on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework, the Organizational Performance Indicator Framework, and the Zero-Based Budgeting Approach.

Budget preparation activities will be guided by the Budget Calendar, which outlines all preparation-related activities and their recommended target dates and deadlines. According to the calendar, agencies and departments should turn in their budget proposals on April 9, while the presentation of the budget to the President and the Cabinet will be set for June 21.

The calendar also schedules the submission of all FY 2013 budget documents to the President on July 20, ultimately leading to the submission of the 2013 National Expenditure Program to Congress on July 23, a day after the President delivers his State of the Nation Address.

“We’re looking forward to a year of effective budget management, so that critical government services will immediately benefit all Filipinos. Hawak naming ang pera ng bayan, at responsibilidad namin na buoin at tuparin ang budget sa maayos at tuwid na paraan,” Abad emphasized.(DBM)