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THE
government is now in the process of firming up its
infrastructure program as an executive order (EO) is now
being drafted to ensure that all its projects will be
aligned with the Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan
(MTPDP) and have adequate budgetary allocations.
The
proposed EO drafted by the National Economic and
Development Authority (Neda) is considered as one of the
“trigger activities” under the Development Policy Loan
of the World Bank in 2007. The EO will fulfill the
commitment of the government to ensure the inclusion of
priority projects in the Department of Budget and
Management’s (DBM) budgeting process.
Previous
reports, particularly on the Official Development
Assistance (ODA) released by the Neda project monitoring
staff, cited the lack of counterpart funding as one of
the reasons for the delay in project implementation and
completion.
The EO
is now pending at the Office of the President. The Neda
infrastructure committee (Infracom) is currently
awaiting the comments of the DBM on the draft EO. If the
provisions of the draft EO are approved by the DBM, this
will be submitted formally for the signature of the
President.
Once
approved, the Infracom will also be given a supplemental
budget of P2.5 million from the existing appropriations
to Neda for 2008. This will cover operating and
technical service requirements of the Infracom.
Further,
an additional P20 million will be allocated to the
Infracom from the e-Government Fund for the development
of a database, and the subsequent annual funding of P1
million allocated to the Infracom for the operation and
maintenance of the database.
In the
proposed EO, implementing agencies, including state
universities and colleges, will be required to submit
their annual infrastructure plans to the Infracom first
before seeking budget approval from the Development
Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC).
Along
with the identified list of all infrastructure projects
for a specific fiscal year to the Infracom, the draft EO
mandates agencies to submit a three-year updated rolling
program not later than 12 months before the start of the
fiscal year.
The
Infracom may also add, delete, reconfigure and
reprioritize programs and projects based on the MTPDP,
Comprehensive and Integrated Infrastructure Program and
other similar plans of the government.
The
draft EO requires the Infracom to include all approved
projects in the government’s Annual Integrated
Infrastructure Program (AIIP). Upon completion, the AIIP
will be submitted for approval of the DBCC. Once this is
approved by the DBCC, the AIIP will be submitted to the
Neda Board for approval/confirmation.
Upon
approval of the AIIP, the infrastructure and projects
included will be included by the DBM in the National
Expenditures Program (NEP) to be submitted to Congress
for the incoming year.
The
Infracom will also formulate the guidelines for the
procedures, information and documentation requirements
for the implementation of the EO. This includes
criteria, process and responsibilities for AIIP and the
incorporation of the AIIP into the
NEP.
The
Infracom is an interagency committee composed of the
director-general of the Neda Secretariat, as chairman;
secretary of public works, as cochairman; and the
executive secretary and secretaries of transportation,
finance and budget, as members.
The
Infracom advises the President and the Neda board on
matters concerning infrastructure development, including
highways, airports, seaports and shore protection;
railways; power generation, transmission and
distribution; telecommunications; and other public
works.
It also
coordinates the activities of agencies, including
government-owned or controlled corporations involved in
infrastructure development and recommends to the
President government policies, programs and projects
concerning infrastructure development consistent with
national development objectives and priorities. |
