CASH USAGE by government agencies rose slightly to 78% in the seven months to July, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.
The utilization ratio was calculated against the Notice of Cash Allocations (NCAs) worth P2.033 trillion at the end of July, of which P1.59 trillion was disbursed.
The year-earlier utilization rate was 77.3%.
An NCA is a cash authority issued quarterly by the DBM to central, regional and provincial offices and operating units to cover their cash requirements.
The agencies have until the end of the third quarter to fully disburse funds allocated to them before they lapse and turn into savings.
The Congress of the Philippines had the highest utilization ratio among national government offices at the end of July at 87%, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways at 85%.
Utilization by state universities and colleges and the Department of National Defense was at 81%.
Other executive offices such as the Anti-Money Laundering Council, Commission on Higher Education, and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, among others, had the lowest utilization rates, averaging 39%.
The National Economic and Development Agency and the Department of Energy followed with usage rates of 49% and 58%, respectively.
Government-owned and controlled corporations and local government units meanwhile recorded utilization rates of 87% and 83%, respectively. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan
