The Comptroller General of the Republicin a letter addressed to general director of the National Planning Department, Alexander López Mayamade several warnings about a possible “unviability” of the postponement of investment budget appropriations for the period 2025.
In the letter, the entity mentions that the investment budget that they had requested in the Budget for the next was an amount higher than the 424,800 million pesoswhile in what was approved this figure fell by 56.05%, remaining at just over 186.7 billion pesos.
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“In this context, we proceed to respond to the request made by the Public Investment Programming Directorate of the National Planning Department in terms of proposing the amount to be deferred for each investment project for the period 2025, in accordance with the provisions of articles 76 and 77 of Decree 111 of 1996, and within the framework of the fiscal provisions established by the National Government“, mentioned the Comptroller’s Office.
And he added: “Since we are informed that ‘The postponement for your entity must total the sum of $133,901,334,901, and can only be carried out for those projects that have source 10 (current resources)’, a value that corresponds to all of the resources of investment approved for the CGR in Decree 1523 of 2024, so the postponement proposal is not viable or convenient for the fulfillment of its missionary purposes“.
Carlos Hernán Rodríguez, Comptroller General of the Republic.
Courtesy.
The reasons for the infeasibility
First of all, the Comptroller’s Office mentioned that the postponement would affect the progress of the technological modernization process, slowing down the updating of digital systems and tools, which are essential to improve operational efficiency. This would include updating administrative management platforms, cybersecurity systems and data analysis tools.
“Without the necessary resources, it would be more difficult to implement emerging technologies such as process automation, predictive analysis and Big Data solutions, which are essential to improve fiscal surveillance and control, auditing and decision making. Furthermore, the lack of resources would make it difficult to integrate real-time data analysis systems and optimize the management of databases related to public procurement, which is crucial to strengthen oversight and transparency.“says the entity.
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The Comptroller’s Office also highlighted that, without the resources “necessary“, could not process large volumes of information efficientlywhich would affect your ability to make informed and informed decisions in real time.
It also mentions that this measure would compromise the strengthening of the technological and physical infrastructure of the entity, as well as the connectivity of information systems, the updating of computer equipment and servers, as well as the modernization of physical facilities.
General Budget of the Nation.
iStock
“The lack of the necessary resources would also affect the continuous strengthening of the institutional technological and computing platform, which includes the technological infrastructure (hardware, software, communications), the capabilities to operate the services and human talent, among others, as well as the different information systems and the licensing of both missionary and support and operation businesses. The strengthening of the data network communications system would also be compromised, especially the expansion of the bandwidth of the WAN communication channels and the strengthening of the Data Center“, mentions the Comptroller’s Office.
And he adds: “This is particularly critical, as greater capacity is required for hosting servers, Internet channels and cabling, as well as active edge, AP and Core data center equipment. The acquisition of communications equipment (switches) and AP, for the central and decentralized level, would also be at risk. All of this, including the necessary support and guarantees, would prevent an adequate provision of services to internal and external users, limiting the implementation of new technological services, such as the use of artificial intelligence, data analytics processes and Big Data processing. . Consequently, the strengthening of infrastructure and data analytics would be affected, which would negatively impact the fulfillment of the mission of the Comptroller General of the Republic.“.
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As for the document managementthe institution mentions that the conservation, updating and digitization of historical documentation would be difficult, which is essential to comply with the General Archives Law in the sense of guaranteeing that documents, files and archives are available for fiscal control entities. , disciplinary, Attorney General’s Office, judges of the Republic, entities with administrative functions.
He explains that “This would affect the accessibility, organization and preservation of documents, which could negatively impact transparency and accountability. Without the necessary resources to implement an adequate document management system, information traceability and timely access to relevant data for audit and control would be difficult.“.
General Budget of the Nation
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In addition, ensures that the development of skills and training of the entity’s officials would be restricted. If adequate training is not carried out to develop the skills of CGR officials, the entity would face serious difficulties in fulfilling its mission efficiently. The lack of skills in key areas would limit the ability of officials to face the challenges of fiscal control.
Finally, if the postponement occurs, the Comptroller’s Office assures that its ability to evaluate compliance with public policies effectively would be reduced. This would make it difficult to adequately monitor the results of government programs, limiting the ability to identify whether established objectives are being met..
“Without the necessary resources, the CGR would not be able to carry out actions in a timely manner, which would compromise the effectiveness of control and transparency in the execution of public resources. In the long term, this could generate a lack of critical feedback to improve public management and would reduce citizen confidence in the institutions in charge of overseeing the use of public resources.“, he closes.
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