Ahead of tomorrow’s bicameral budget deliberations, lawmakers have stood firm in their position to expand funding for education and social protection while removing allocations for flood-control projects in the 2026 national budget.
Rep. Mikaela Suansing, the House Committee on Appropriations chairperson, stood by the House-approved version of the money measure, saying it has “no more allocations for flood control projects.”
She maintained that safeguards have been put into the proposed 2026 budget to prevent abuse of the unprogrammed appropriations.
She said the House GAB was able to add P553.7 billion to agriculture, raising the sector’s total 2026 budget to P292.9 billion, because of the discontinued allocations for flood control projects.
“The increase in the budgets of these sectors was sourced from the P255 billion originally allocated for flood control projects, which have been discontinued,” she said.
“There are no more flood control projects, bridges or roads that can be drawn from unprogrammed appropriations. Unprogrammed appropriations can only be funded if the government has a surplus or new revenue in the following year. That means, if the government does not have additional revenue, nothing will be funded from unprogrammed appropriations,” Suansing added.
Senator Bam Aquino, for his part, underscored the need to protect the P1.38 trillion education allocation from possible changes during the bicameral process, saying the size of the investment demands strict public oversight.
“This is really an education budget. Let’s watch over it. I expect that what has been promised, that the contents of the bicameral committee, will be livestreamed, will continue. It is incumbent upon all of us to monitor it,” said Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
Under the proposed national budget, more than P65 billion will be allocated for the construction of 27,000 to 30,000 classrooms, P27 billion for the school-based feeding program, and P37 billion for free college tuition covering around 5.7 million students as priorities.
Senator Risa Hontiveros said the proposed spending plan will also deliver concrete gains not just for students but for overseas Filipino workers, and women and children, as well citing higher allocations for migrant assistance and protections against abuse both online and offline.
“I am happy that the Senate has not forgotten the needs of our vulnerable fellow Filipinos, especially the youth who represent our collective future,” Hontiveros said.
The senator highlighted added funding for major health facilities, including liver transplant services at the Philippine General Hospital, cochlear implant and brain surgery programs at Quirino Medical Center, upgraded geriatric equipment at Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, and the construction of the Naujan Community Hospital in Oriental Mindoro.
Congress aims to transmit the proposed GAA to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for signing by Dec. 29, 2025.
