Lawmakers have moved to increase the budget of the Department of Education by P86.8 billion during yesterday’s bicameral conference deliberations – the first to be livestreamed in budget history.
“Congress has removed the veil from the budget process. Congress has done everything to ensure that the budget is transparent, clean, and equipped with sufficient safeguards to make sure it cannot be abused,” House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Mikaela Angela Suansing said.
“This year finds us in extraordinary times. The 2026 national budget is being deliberated upon as the nation grapples with the corruption revealed in the flood control scandal,” Senate Committee on Finance chairperson Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said, adding that Congress must act to “repair our social contract with the people we have sworn to serve.”
With yesterday’s funding hike approval, the DepEd’s final budget now stands at P961.3 billion.
“Under the basic education facilities program, that would be a total increase of P57.3 billion, so at the very least, there will be 35,000 classrooms that would be constructed in 2026. Under textbooks and instructional materials, we are increasing it by P8.3 billion from the NEP level of P11.1 to a final number of P19.5. This would help fill the shortage of books and other items in our schools,” Suansing said.
The House of Representatives also significantly increased funding for agriculture in its version of the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Bill, raising the total agriculture sector budget to P292.9 billion to support farmers and fisherfolk, improve rural infrastructure, and expand farm mechanization.
Suansing said the House added P53.8 billion to the agriculture cluster, reflecting the chamber’s commitment to food security and rural development.
The House version of the budget also allocates P30 billion under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) for farm mechanization and the provision of other production inputs aimed at increasing productivity and lowering production costs.
In addition, the House provided P1 billion for crop insurance to protect farmers against losses, P2.4 billion for the construction of deep-water ports to strengthen agricultural logistics, and P200 million for the implementation of the New Agrarian Emancipation Act.
Members of the House panel were all present yesterday, while Senators Pia Cayetano, Mark Villar, Camille Villar, Joseph Victor Ejercito, and Ronald Dela Rosa were not present.
As this developed, Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo Sr. resigned as member of the House contingent in the bicameral conference committee.
“Guided by my firm belief and respect for our democratic institutions, and my enduring commitment to public service, I have formally tendered my courtesy resignation as a member of the Bicameral Conference Committee deliberating on the General Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2026,” Momo said.
“This decision was neither easy nor impulsive. It was made after deep reflection and with full awareness of the responsibilities entrusted to me as a legislator,” the lawmaker added.
Momo resigned as bicam member a day after plunder and graft complaints were filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman.
The case stemmed from the alleged P1.4 billion worth of government contracts bagged by the construction firm owned by his family.
