Regional governors held a meeting with the Director of Dipres: they request autonomy to decide in which areas to apply the 3% budget adjustment.

The governor of the Los Lagos Region and president of the association, Alejandro Santana Tirachini, expressed the concern of regional authorities regarding this measure, indicating that it could directly impact the 346 municipalities in the country, considering that 85% of the municipalities depend on the regional budget to finance key initiatives through programs such as FNDR and FRIL. “We conveyed to the new director the complications we faced last year with Dipres, particularly due to the lack of certainty, transparency, and speed. Our main request is that these situations do not repeat.

We were confirmed that regional governments will be subject to this budget adjustment, but we were excluded from the one billion dollars in complementary funds,” Santana stated. He also added that the governors committed to presenting a formal document proposing greater autonomy in defining the adjustments. “We hope to decide which revenue items to consider, so there is clarity on which programs or projects could be affected,” he explained.

The meeting, held at the Ministry of Finance, was also attended by the vice president of the association and regional governor of Valparaíso, Rodrigo Mundaca; the treasurer and regional governor of Antofagasta, Ricardo Díaz; as well as the governors of Biobío, Los Ríos, and Magallanes, Sergio Giacaman, Luis Cuvertino, and Jorge Flies, respectively, along with the governor of the Metropolitan Region, Claudio Orrego. Governor Santana emphasized the need to move towards greater regional autonomy in resource management, appreciating the willingness of the Dipres director to consider the proposals presented. During the next week, regional governments will conduct technical work in each territory to evaluate in detail the effects of the adjustment.

Subsequently, in April, it is expected to resume discussions with Dipres to seek agreements with the Ministry of Finance regarding the programs and plans that could be affected. Finally, Santana warned that regional governments were already facing a budget reduction prior to this adjustment. While the national budget for 2026 contemplates a growth of 1.

7%, the resources allocated to regional governments show a decline of 2. 8%. In this regard, he detailed that in 2025, regional budgets represented 2.

07% of the national total, a figure that would decrease to 1. 87% for 2026.