Update from House of Representatives over Proposed Budget for 2026
The House of Representatives voted to pass the bill seeking for the P6.8-trillion budget for the government for 2026 despite the inclusion of “unprogrammed funds”.
Both the Senate and the House of Representatives deliberated the proposed 2026 national budget amounting to P6.8 trillion. The proposal was made by the executive department and it was submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the lower chamber amid the flood control issue.
Previously, amid the claims that there are allegedly budget requests for projects that are supposedly finished already, Pres. Bongbong Marcos stressed that the 2026 national budget should be really cleaned out properly. Senate President Tito Sotto previously assured that he and the newly-elected Speaker of the lower chamber, Faustino “Bojie” Dy, will make sure of it.
From the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026, the Office of the President has requested P27 billion budget for next year. Marcos Jr.’s office asked over P1 billion budget for his local and foreign trips for next year. The OP is also poised to get the lion’s share from the P10.77 billion confidential and intelligence funds requested for next year.
- Office of the President — P4.5 billion
- Department of National Defense — P1.848 billion
- Anti-Money Laundering Council, National Security Council, and the Philippine National Police, and Other Executive Offices — P2.292 billion
The Office of the Vice President did not ask for confidential and intel funds for 2026. Vice Pres. Sara Duterte’s office sought for a P902.8 million budget for next year. While the Senate swiftly approved the OVP’s budget request, the House of Representatives moved to reduce it by P156 million after Duterte skipped the plenary deliberations of the proposed budget of her office.
Here are the proposed budget for the other key offices and departments of the government:
- Department of Education (DepEd) — P928.5 billion
- Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) — P881.3 billion
- Department of Health (DOH) — P320.5 billion
- Department of National Defense (DND) — P299.3 billion
- Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) — P287.5 billion
- Department of Agriculture (DA) — P239.2 billion
- Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) — P227.0 billion
- Department of Transportation (DOTr) — P197.3 billion
- Judiciary Department — P67.9 billion
- Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) — P55.2 billion
Based on a report on Inquirer, the House of Representatives has passed the P6.793-trillion national budget bill on its third and final reading. Two hundred eight-seven solons voted in favor of its passed but 12 members said “no”. Some House members do not approve the presence of the P243-billion “unprogrammed funds” in the approved version.
According to House speaker Bojie Dy, the House Bill No. 4058 may not be perfect but they allegedly “made sure nothing was hidden, nothing was concealed, with the goal to ensure that every penny of the tax paid by our citizens is given back to them in the form of opportunities, services, and hope”. Here are the 12 members of the lower chamber who are against the passing of the proposed budget for 2026:
- Akbayan lawmakers Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Kiram Ismula
- Makabayan lawmakers Antonio Tinio, Sarah Elago, and Renee Co
- Liberal Party lawmakers Leila de Lima, Kaka Bag-ao, Krisel Lagman, and Edgar Erice
- SAGIP Representative Paolo Marcoleta
- Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste
Previously, Senator Ping Lacson proposed an “experiment” by adopting the proposed budget of the Marcos Jr. administration in full.