Tag: INTEC

Budget Director presents budget execution progress to university economics academics

The activity promotes a strategic alliance to bring Economics students closer to the execution of the General State Budget. The General Directorate of Budget (Digepres) held a Citizen Meeting with academics from Economics faculties to discuss the central government's budget execution for the first quarter of 2023. The event also aimed to establish the foundations and strategic alliances to bring university Economics students closer to the execution of the General State Budget. The presentation was given by the Director General of Budget, José Rijo Presbot, during the Citizen Meeting, where he emphasized the institution's interest in promoting citizen participation in public budget management. "To improve the quality of public policies, it is crucial that citizen participation be early and timely, that is, that it involves monitoring the design and formulation, planning, execution, follow-up, and evaluation," stated Rijo Presbot. The Budget Director, while explaining the budget execution for the first three months of 2023, also highlighted the progress made by President Luis Abinader's administration. “The government eliminated the practice of administrative debt. Expenditures that are not properly documented cannot be executed without appropriation certification.” Among other actions, he mentioned substantial improvements to the police, health, and pension sectors. Those present at the meeting included Antonio Ciriaco Cruz, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD); Rita Mena, Director of the School of Economics at the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra (PUCMM); and Manuel Santana, Finance Coordinator at the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC). Rijo Presbot explained to the professors the budget variables, tax revenues, functional distribution of spending, debt behavior and interest rates, the budget allocation established by law, and budget results. The Budget Director also addressed the impact of the international crisis stemming from the war between Russia and Ukraine on the Dominican economy, explaining that the government has resorted to subsidies as an effective transitional tool to alleviate the effects of imported inflation following the conflict. Rijo Presbot provided details on the central government's public investment in the provinces during the first quarter of the year. "Approximately RD$20,343 million has been invested in Santo Domingo, Santiago de los Caballeros, Duarte, the National District, and Azua." He also highlighted ongoing initiatives to meet the public's social demands in the areas of water, infrastructure, social programs, and subsidies for the electricity and fuel sectors. Furthermore, he encouraged those present to monitor the weekly Budget Execution report published by Digepres, which details even the smallest level of government spending, as a key factor in assessing transparency. Finally, participants had the opportunity to express their concerns regarding improvements related to the quality of spending, public policies, and tax reforms. The Budget Director was accompanied by a team of collaborators including Jenny Batista from the Social Services Department; Juan Portalatin, Sorangel González, and Airon Fernández from the Economic Studies Department; Ana Miguelina Terrero from Budget Performance Evaluation; and Odilys Hidalgo from the Budget Services Directorate. Citizen Encounter is an initiative of the Budget Directorate (Digepres) to reaffirm its commitment to transparency and, for the first time by the government, guarantee public participation in the budget formulation process.