Freshly-appointed Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said he will review the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOEs) of government agencies amid calls for greater transparency and accountability in public spending.

Speaking at the launch of the Philippines’ partnership agreement on public procurement with the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Thursday, De Leon said the directive comes ahead of next week’s budget review and is aimed at improving efficiency and transparency as investigations into the flood control scandal continue.

Review all Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses

“I want to review all the MOOE items. I’m not just looking at capital outlay. I would like to see how the MOOE items emerge because we have very limited fiscal space,” he said.

“And if there is room for us to clear some MOOE items to give way to big-ticket infrastructure projects that we actually need, that the Filipino people actually need, then let’s do that,” he added.

MOOEs refer to the operational funds government agencies use for routine expenditures such as utilities, office supplies, repairs, travel and maintenance.

While the flood control scandal initially centered on allegations of ghost projects, kickbacks, and substandard infrastructure, the controversy has since expanded to include broader concerns over public spending and the national budgeting process.

Accountability regardless

of project size

De Leon said accountability should apply to all violations of the law, regardless of the size of the project, underscoring the need to hold public officials accountable as those allegedly involved in the graft scandal continue to face scrutiny.

“My proposition is that if accountability is expected from a billion-peso flood control project, accountability should also be at the sam