Manila, Jan. 15 (BNA): Congress has increased this year’s budget for the Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernization Program (AFPMP) by six billion philippine pesos ($110,239,868), raising the total new appropriations to PHP45 billion.
"In all, there’s 45 billion pesos for the AFPMP in the 2023 national budget – 27.5 billion pesos in programmed appropriations plus17.5 billion pesos in unprogrammed appropriations," Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said in a news release on Sunday.
He said 45 billion pesos is 6 billion pesos higher than the 39 billion pesos in programmed and unprogrammed appropriations for the AFPMP in 2022, PNA news agency reported.
Pimentel said the Department of Budget and Management had originally sought only PHP40 billion in programmed and unprogrammed appropriations for the AFPMP this year.
"We are confident the government will find the money needed to finance this year’s unprogrammed appropriations for the AFPMP," he said.
Programmed appropriations have funding sources, whereas unprogrammed ones provide standby authority for the Department of National Defense (DND) to sign additional contracts for modernization projects, depending on available government funds, including borrowed money.