President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered all government offices to identify savings from their 2020 budgets to augment funding for the country’s fight against Covid-19.
In Administrative Order No. 41, Duterte said all departments, agencies, bureaus and offices of
the national government must identify portions or balances of their released appropriations under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for Fiscal Year 2020 that may be declared as savings.
The 2020 GAA defines savings as portions of any released appropriations which have not been obligated as a result of completion, final discontinuance or abandonment of a project for which the appropriation is authorized and implementation of measures resulting in obtaining services at lesser costs.
Heads of government offices were also ordered to submit a report to the Department of Budget and Management within 15 days.
The 2020 GAA is effective until Dec. 31, 2021, thanks to a year-long extension implemented through Republic Act No. 11520. John Ezekiel J. Hirro