The House Committee on Appropriations has approved House Bill 4058, the proposed national budget for 2026, which includes a significant realignment of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) P255 billion flood control funds. According to a report by ABS-CBN News, 54 lawmakers voted in favor of the bill, six rejected it, and four abstained.
One of the largest shifts involves P32 billion redirected to the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice, however, questioned this move, citing alleged irregularities in AICS implementation under the 2025 budget. “Nagkaroon ng maraming anomalya, dahil kulang na kulang sila sa social welfare personnel… at ang nagpamigay nalang po nito ay mga pulitiko,” Erice said.
Committee Chairperson Rep. Mikaela Suansing defended the decision, noting that AICS has a utilization rate as high as 97 to 99 percent. She warned that without the augmentation, around seven million beneficiaries could be displaced.
House Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers Party List raised concerns over the imbalance in funding, comparing the large allocation for AICS against only P3 billion for the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP). He argued that long-term livelihood should be prioritized over short-term aid. Camarines Sur Rep. Arnie Fuentebella responded that while SLP is important, its low utilization rates limited its funding.
The committee also approved a P14.8 billion increase for the Department of Labor and Employment’s TUPAD program, as well as a P22.5 billion boost to the Department of Education (DepEd) for classroom construction, expected to fund around 20,000 new classrooms. A special provision will allow multiple modes of implementation, including DepEd, DPWH, local governments, and public-private partnerships.
Additionally, the panel conditionally approved a P60 billion increase in subsidy for PhilHealth, raising its total allocation to P113 billion for 2026, provided the agency commits to expanding its benefits package.
Suansing emphasized that the budget realignments were strictly institutional and based on official requests from government agencies. “Wala pong controversial insertions dito sa P255 billion,” she said, stressing that no congressional insertions were made in the approved proposal.
