go through Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, reporter
House Committee On Monday, they began revising the 2026 P679.3-100 million miles of national budget, turning to billions of dollars in flood control funds.
The House Budget Amendment Subcommittee reviews redirecting flood control funds initially allocated to the public works sector next year, with President Ferdinand R. Marcos next year.
“We want to make sure that we can redistribute in a way that the budget is most responsive to the needs of the Filipino people,” said Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing, Nueva Ecija.
Redistribution is an allegation of unqualified, incomplete or non-existent infrastructure in flood control projects in countries prone to flooding.
House Subcommittee oversees fund top-up as part of a broad drive to increase transparency in budget reviews, replacing the previously opaque “small committee” The amendment to the State Spend Act was handled.
Ms Suansing said the House will begin a full review of the proposed state spending plan (September 23) a month after the Budget Department submitted its national spending plan to Congress.
Ms Suansing said the budget review will continue until the House passes the Budget Bill Second reading before the end of September.
Members of Congress put forward the proposed budget of the Ministry of Education (DEPED) by 2.8% or pesos 26.54 billion, reaching pesos 95.54 billion in 2026.
In the absence of public schools, the proposed increase in funding will be used for Deped’s classroom construction work, which will be allocated more than double the allocation to 36.5 billion pesos than 13.2 billion pesos.
Rep. Brian Poe Llamanzares, a party chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, told lawmakers that party list Rep. Brian Poe Llamanzares, the vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, told lawmakers that fueling classroom construction budgets could provide an additional 19,300 classrooms nationwide, eased classroom shortages in public schools.
Other programs that receive additional funding include school-based feeding schemes (P57955 million), additional compensation for teachers who provide tutoring (P57955 million).
The House Subcommittee also added P6.61 billion to the Higher Education Commission (CHED) Committee on Higher Education, respectively, and increased the p2.17 billion stake to Pes 2.69 billion.
CHED Chairman Shirley C. Agrupis earlier told lawmakers that approximately 300,000 college students would lose their chances of receiving government grants if Congress does not increase the budget for programs covering all or part of the cost of college education for state college students.
Legislators also raised the Ministry of Health’s proposed budget for next year by 3.2% to Phillips 948.07 billion, from the initially designated national spending plan.
In this amount, P26.73 billion in health financial aid will be provided to poor patients, and P2.4 billion is allocated to complete key government hospitals across the country.
Members of Congress also adjusted the government’s subsidy to Philhealth to pesos 60 billion, in line with Mr Marcos’ instructions to restore a portion of the national government’s acquisition of the National Health Insurance Company last year.
Surigao del Sur, Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Panel, Rep. Romeo S. Momo, Rep. Surigao del Sur, Rep. Romeo S. Momo, Surigao del Sur, Rep. Romeo S. Momo, “This is consistent with the announcement…return.”
Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman told the Budget Department that it is “working to determine the appropriate sources of reimbursement to achieve returns”. BusinessWorld.
“While other options (such as using savings, unprogrammed appropriations or supplementary budgets) exist under the current budget framework, these options remain in line with strict constitutional and legal requirements,” she said.
Members of Congress also increased the budget of the Social Welfare sector by pesos 32 billion in Crisis Situation (AICS) program to 5.94 billion in Philippine pesos. The AIC provides financial assistance to individuals in crisis, including medical, funeral, transportation and education assistance.
They also raised the Ministry of Agriculture’s budget by 4.18 billion pesos to 17.61 billion P17.611 billion.
A speech by the House Appropriations Committee showed that about 8.98 billion will be redirected to the construction of additional farm-to-market roads, with Ph92.1 billion being used to build post-harvest facilities and rehabilitation of existing structures, as well as rehabilitation of other buildings.
The House Subcommittee also transferred approximately P1 billion of the transportation sector to the third rehabilitation program of the transportation sector and provided an additional P266 million for its operations.
Members also added an additional P900.56 million P900.56 million to acquire 40 fast patrol ships for the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and a “dark ship” detection system for vessels operating in Philippine waters.
PCG has been at the forefront of Manila’s efforts to claim its territorial claims in the South China Sea, with China’s nine markings overlapping with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Members of Congress also agreed to provide the Ministry of Defense with an additional P556.86 million p56.86 million to develop at the Palawan provincial operating base facing the disputed waterway. Another P300 million Philippine pesos was used to acquire land for the construction of an air force base in Laugh, Ilorocos province.
John Paolo R. Rivera, a senior researcher at the Philippine Institute of Development, said the decision to redistribute flood control funds to human capital development was a step towards the government.
“Lawmakers must ensure that these funds exceed recurring costs and are committed to systematic improvements such as teacher training, health infrastructure, digital access and nutrition,” he said in a Viber message.
Rivera said Congress should also consider revisiting the broader national budget rather than focusing solely on the Flood Control Fund of 2.55 billion PHP.
“Without it, this redistribution could be just a temporary solution, not a transformative pivot,” he said.
“The problem is that we should put our money into higher yield investments,” Lanzona, professor of economics at the University of Manila Ateneo De Manila, said in a Facebook Messenger chat. “We should target these funds to the poor because these are the families that need resources the most and thus generate the greatest gain.” – With from Aubrey Rose A. Inosante
