With poverty reduction in the Philippines a prime focus of government’s activities, the identification of the felt needs of the targeted communities and sectors at the local level is crucial.
Since its implementation in 2012, the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BuB), also called participatory budgeting, has been a buzzword among civil society organizations (CSOs) all over the Philippines because of the fact that it is different from the usual top-to-bottom planning and budgeting where the high level executives make all the decisions in fund dispensations.
According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the BUB scheme provides the opportunity for prospective beneficiaries to be involved in setting their own goals and expectations for a given period.
The department adds that this ownership of decisions, motivating them to meet budgetary constraints that otherwise might seem unattainable or unrealistic if they were delivered by someone without understanding of their day-to-day operations.
Using the bottom-up budgeting scheme, the DTI provides funds that municipal governments can use in priming up local industries and help small entrepreneurs become competitive.
The trade department is joined by the Department of Interior and Local Government in implementing the projects by way of providing beneficiary local governments the necessary guidance.
DTI underscored that Local Government Units (LGUs) are the ones that identify their programs or projects into the budgeting approach, program the allocations, recommend the needed interventions and decide on the manner of implementation.
Along with increased participation, DTI points out that the BUB also helps to create a more accurate picture of how much each fund beneficiary needs in order to function effectively, adding that this scheme also promotes good governance at the local level.
In Central Visayas, around Php 15 Million has been allocated by DTI for trade-related projects under the BUB, with a total of 13 LGUs benefiting from 16 identified BUB projects.
DTI narrates that the BUB projects in Region 7 include Rural Micro Enterprise Promotion Program, Industry Clustering Development Program, Price Mapping & Monitoring, Green Growth Initiative, Shared Service Facilities, and One-Town One Product (OTOP) Store Express,
DTI says provincial governments are tapped to help speed up the implementation of the BUB-funded projects, adding that monitoring of the implementation these projects is the responsibility of the LGUs.
Policy guidelines on BUB are jointly issued by Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).
For information on DTI services, visit http://www.dti.gov.ph/
