Government advertising expenditure: over RD$3,100 million

Santo Domingo.- The General Budget Directorate (DIGEPRES) has provided clarification regarding the Advertising, Printing, and Binding account, revealing that as of the end of April, a total accrued amount of RD$3,134.6 million has been verified. This amount accounts for 38.4% of the budget allocated at the beginning of the year.

Regarding this account, the entity emphasizes that the current government administration has opted to centralize a significant portion of government advertising within the Directorate of Government Strategy and Communication (DIECOM). This decision aims to enhance control over the efficient utilization of these resources.

“Of the total accrued amount, 58.8% or the equivalent of RD$1,844.4 million is concentrated in Chapter 0201 of the Presidency of the Republic, to which DIECOM is attached,” the statement indicates.

Additionally, due to the electoral context, the second-largest proportion of resources, accounting for 13.3% or the equivalent of RD$417.2 million, has been accrued by Chapter 0401 of the Central Electoral Board (JCE), particularly in the management of electoral processes.

“In fact, by the end of the first quarter of the year, the JCE is the chapter with the highest relative execution of the budget in Advertising, Printing, and Binding, with an accrual equivalent to 128.6% of its initial budget,” states the Government.

According to DIGEPRES, spending on advertising and propaganda has transitioned from representing 0.59% of the central government’s total expenditure during the period 2016-2020, under the governance of the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), to 0.34% in the 2021-2024 period.

A statement from DIGEPRES further elaborates that the proportion of spending on advertising and propaganda concerning the total spending of the central government has shifted from experiencing a notably increasing trend during the period 2016-2019 to exhibiting a fluctuating trend, ultimately resulting in a decreasing trend starting in 2020.