By Pexcel John BaconGOVERNMENT AGENCIES should address persistent underspending and boost their capacity to implement programs before seeking bigger allocations in the 2027 national budget, analysts said. “Money appropriated but not effectively spent can mean roads not built, classrooms not completed and services not delivered when they are needed,” Mr. Tapia told BusinessWorld via Facebook Messenger. He attributed low budget use to weak project preparation, unrealistic implementation timelines, procurement delays and limited absorptive capacity. Congress should consider agencies’ use records when reviewing budget requests, but should not automatically cut allocations of agencies with low use, Mr. Tapia said. “Underspending is usually debated along two lines,” Mr. Juliano said, referring to situations where government limits spending and projects are hampered, or where spending is rushed and corruption or budget insertions occur.