The Philippine government’s infrastructure spending went down for the fifth straight month in November as pandemic protocols continued to make it harder for construction works to progress, the Department of Budget and Management reported.
Infrastructure and other capital outlays fell during the month to P40.3 billion, a 50.2% plunge from the P80.9 billion spent in November 2019. It is also 29.4% down from the P57.1 billion worth of expenditures in October.
“[A]s expected, infrastructure and other capital outlays were lower year-on-year mainly due to the delays encountered in the implementation of public works during the imposition of COVID-19 community quarantine measures, and the discontinuance or deferment of some capital outlay projects which can no longer be implemented nor completed because of the pandemic pursuant to the Bayanihan I Law,” the DBM report read.
The delay of spending during this pandemic was acknowledged even by the Palace, also noting that it took a while before the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases decided to give the go signal to resume construction projects.
