BAGUIO CITY – “The national government must download to the beneficiary local government units the funds earmarked for the implementation of Bottom Up Budgeting (BUB) projects to avoid undue delays in the implementation of funded projects considering that LGUs are capable of complying with the stringent guidelines for the programmed projects,” Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said here Wednesday.
The city mayor said the current delays in the implementation of BUB projects funded by the different government agencies is due to the bureaucracy involved in the release of funds from the national government because it has to pass through relevant government agencies that coordinate with the concerned local governments for the implementation of the funded projects.
He revealed that in the case of the BUB project of the city that was coursed through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the latter denied having received the P1.3 million funding for the project amidst the existence of a certification from the budget department that such funds were already downloaded to the agency.
“BUB project funds must directly be downloaded to the beneficiary local government units because local officials know what will be the best ways to do in making sure that the projects will be done pursuant to the prescribed specifications and standards,” Domogan stressed.
He also argued that the national government has limited projects that will be funded because of the limitations on the choice of beneficiaries for the projects.
According to him, other agencies where BUB funds were downloaded were able to implement the projects for the beneficiaries but what is important is that the concerned local governments will be given the authority to handle the implementation and liquidation of the funds given to them.
Domogan explained that the downloading of the BUB funds to the concerned government agencies contribute to the unnecessary delays in project implementation that is why there is a need for local officials to propose the direct downloading of future BUB project funds to the local governments, prescribing among others, the rules and regulations to be complied with in the liquidation of funds.
He is optimistic that the new administration will look into the issues and concerns raised by concerned government agencies and local governments in relation to the planning, programming, implementation and liquidation of BUB projects so that appropriate adjustments could be done for the possible downloading of future BUB project funds to the local governments capable of handling the implementation of the projects.
BUB was the former Grassroots Participatory Budgeting wherein beneficiaries will be allowed to select the appropriate projects for their needs based on guidelines prepared by the national government that must be observed for the purpose of transparency and accountability./Dexter A. See
