The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P3.491 trillion, or 95.3 percent of the P3.662 trillion fiscal year 2019 obligation program as of 30 September.

Allotment releases to the line departments amounted to P2.011 trillion. These include funds allocated for agencies in the Executive branch, Congress, the Judiciary, and other constitutional offices.

Releases from special purpose unds (SPFs) amounted to P317.882 billion. Special Purpose Funds (SPFs) are budgetary allocations in the GAA allocated for specific socio-economic purposes such as budgetary support to government corporations, allocation to local government units, contingent fund, Miscellaneous personnel benefits fund, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, and Pension and Gratuity Fund.

Allotment releases for automatic appropriations, or appropriations programmed annually or for some other period prescribed by law, increased to P1.070 trillion, corresponding to 99.9 percent of the FY 2019 program for automatic appropriations. These include 100 percent of the 2019 program for the internal revenue allotment of local government units, pension of Ex-President/Ex-President Widows, net lending, interest payments, and tax expenditures fund/customs duties and taxes.

Moreover, some P50.254 billion in payments for retirement and life insurance premium requirements was released, inclusive of P3.09 billion pertaining to additional requirements for newly-created or -filled positions in various agencies, resulting in a 106.6 percent release for the category.

The DBM has also released P25.043 billion as of end-September from the continuing appropriations of the 2018 GAA for line departments and releases from SPFs. Continuing appropriations refer to appropriations available to support obligations for a specified purpose or project, such as multi-year construction projects which require the incurrence of obligations beyond one fiscal year.