Ministry of Finance, and Budget and Management

BANGSAMORO TREASURY OFFICE

MINISTRY OF FINANCE, AND BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT

Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

MINISTRY OF FINANCE, AND BUDGET AND MANAGEMENT

FAQs-BTO

Frequently Asked Questions

Bangsamoro Treasury Office (BTO) is one of the sectoral offices under the Ministry of Finance, Budget and Management (MFBM). It is mandated to perform the following: 


a) receive and safeguard all the revenues generated and collected by the Bangsamoro Government 

b) act as principal custodian of financial assets and real properties of the Bangsamoro Government; 

c) develop an investment strategy for the investment of funds of the Bangsamoro Government; 

d) manage the Bangsamoro Government’s investment program including the monitoring and analyzing of financial market conditions; 

e) conduct short and long-term cash flow analysis; 

f) formulate annual projections of revenue needs, cash position and borrowing capacity of the Bangsamoro Government; g) formulate and execute policies on financial management, public borrowings and capital market development; and 

h) assist in managing, controlling and servicing of public debts from domestic or foreign sources.

No, the Bangsamoro Treasury Office and the Bureau of the Treasury are not the same entity.

 

The Bangsamoro Treasury Office (BTO) is a treasury office established within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) in the Philippines. It handles financial matters specifically within the autonomous region, following the framework and regulations set forth by the Bangsamoro Organic Law.

 

On the other hand, Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) is a national government agency in the Philippines responsible for managing the government’s finances, debt management, and fiscal operations on a national level. It operates under the Department of Finance and handles financial matters for the entire country.

 

While both entities are involved in treasury and financial management, they operate at different levels of governance in the Philippines—the Bangsamoro Treasury Office at the regional level within BARMM, and the Bureau of the Treasury at the national level for the entire Philippines.

No, the Bangsamoro Treasury Office does not handle fidelity bonding. It is the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) that is responsible for the fidelity bonding of accountable officials and employees across Philippines, the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), ensuring that they are insured against losses that might arise from their handling of public funds and property.

The Bangsamoro Treasury System on Disbursement (BTS-D) is officially implemented beginning January 1, 2024. The system requires the reversion of the undisbursed cash allocation of the Ministries, Offices, and Agencies (M/O/As) every six months. Reversion of funds to the Bangsamoro Treasury through the BTS-D on a semi-annual basis is a pivotal strategy in ensuring responsible financial management within the Bangsamoro region. It serves as a mechanism to ensure efficient utilization of the released cash allocation and prevents accumulation of undisbursed cash in the bank account of M/O/As.

The Ministry or Authorized Official shall cause the opening of bank accounts by submitting the following documents to the Bangsamoro Treasury Office (BTO), to wit:

  • Letter requesting to open an account addressed to the MFBM Minister through the Bangsamoro Treasurer;
  • Filled in Request for Authority to Open Bank Account (BTO Form 2023-1); and
  • Undertaking (BTO Form 2023-2) and Waiver of Confidentiality (BTO Form 2023-3).

 

The BTO shall evaluate and review the application to open a bank account. The Bangsamoro shall approve the application in Request for Authority to Open Bank Account (BTO Form 2023-1), otherwise, the M/O/As shall be informed on the basis of the disapproval and required to make good the non-compliance.

 

The Ministries, Offices, and Agencies (M/O/As) shall use a separate Oncoll Deposit Slip and fill out the required fields which include the organizational code, and the remittance code for the collections to be deposited to the designated clearing account.

 

The (M/O/As) shall, then, proceed to the Bangsamoro Treasury Office (BTO) to submit the validated deposit slip, and list of deposited collection. In case of contractor’s tax, the BTO shall issue Official Receipt for the remitted collections.

The Online Collection (OnColl) System of Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) is a specialized platform designed to facilitate the electronic collection of various payments and fees. It is geared towards enhancing the efficiency, transparency, and accessibility of payment collections for both payers and collecting entities across various sectors.

In compliance with the provisions of the GAAB/MILG-MFBM Joint Memorandum Circular 2022-01, the documentary requirements to be submitted for release of LGU shares are as follows:

 

  1. Affidavit for first release and change of Chief Executive;
  2. Approved Appropriation Ordinance of the previous shares released approved by the Sangguniang Bayan
  3. Quarterly/Annual Report on Trust Utilization and Status of Project Implementation; and
  4. Active AGDB with LBP, DBP or AIIB.