DBM confident that ‘bottom up’ budgeting will help poor LGUs

Saturday 18th of February 2012

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Feb 19 (PIA) -- The Department of Budget and Management expressed optimism that poor local government units will benefit from the “bottom up” budgeting that is being implemented in the 2013 budget preparation process.

DBM-8 Regional Director Imelda Laceras said that the “bottom up” budgeting will focus on considering the priorities of 300 to 400 of the poorest municipalities nationwide. This budgeting strategy will benefit Eastern Visayas considering its ranking as the fifth poorest region in the country, she added.

The poorest municipalities will be identified by the Cabinet’s Human Development and Poverty Reduction cluster. Local-level engagement will be facilitated via relevant government offices, local community leaders, LGUs, and partner civic organizations.

At least 55 poor Eastern Visayas LGUs are among the 600 focus areas in the implementation of the bottom-up budgeting, an approach that will incorporate in the budget of key departments the priority requirements of poor local government units.

Laceras said that the 55 poor town and cities were identified by the Cabinet’s Human Development and Poverty Reduction (HDPR) cluster.

Included in the listing released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) are 22 focus areas in Samar, 15 in Leyte, 12 in Northern Samar, and six in Eastern Samar.

Laceras disclosed that the identified LGUs should be able to identify poverty reduction program and projects that they cannot fund at the local level.

The national government should be able to extend a lending hand by way of seeing to it that the priority programs of these pilot LGUs will find their way to the budget of concerned agencies, the director said.

”The agencies will combine their respective services in poor communities by taking on the prioritized list of projects and programs and incorporating these into their budget proposals for 2013,” Laceras added.

The early initiation of the bottom-up planning process will ensure that the needs of the poor municipalities will be adequately funded in the 2013 budget.

The identified municipalities were selected based on factors that include the magnitude of the poor in the municipalities, number of population minus number of poor, amount needed to be mobilized every year to eradicate poverty in the area, and the density of the poor by province.

Other factors which are taken to consideration are areas enrolled in the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) and Kapangyarihan at Kaunlaran sa Barangay expansion areas and the conflict- affected municipalities listed under the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

“Identified LGUs should be able to identify poverty reduction program and projects that they cannot fund at the local level. The national government should be able to extend a lending hand by way of seeing to it that the priority programs of these pilot LGUs will find its way to the budget of concerned agencies,” Laceras explained.

“If their program is health-related, DOH regional budget should include the program that would address the problem of that municipality.”

In line with the present administration’s goal to reduce poverty and achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, the national government will begin instituting the “bottom-up” approach to the ongoing 2013 budget preparation process, Director Laceras said. (PIA 8)