Big Budget Cut Hits House of Representatives’ Proposed Budget for 2026
The House of Representatives’ proposed budget is down by P16.8 billion for 2026 based on the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
The P6.793 trillion National Expenditure Program or NEP for the proposed 2026 budget was handed over by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the lower chamber. The Congress is set to deliberate the proposed national budget for next year.
Pres. Bongbong Marcos called on the Congress to “swiftly enact” the proposed 2026 budget. He also called for cooperation “to realize the full potential of our nation, nurture future-ready generations and fulfill our dream of a Bagong Pilipinas”.
Marcos Jr. whose office receives the biggest share in the proposed Confidential and Intelligence Funds for 2026 previously claimed that he will not approve budget proposals that are misaligned with the plans of the government. Senate Pres. Chiz Escudero reacted to it saying that the Congress has the “power of the purse”.
Malacañang called on the Congress not to abuse the said power and to make the budget talks accessible to the Filipinos as much as possible. Even prior to the remarks of the Palace, House Speaker Martin Romualdez already filed a resolution seeking for “watchdogs” during the budget deliberation in line with the desire of his cousin.
Here are the proposed budget for the different key departments in the government for the Fiscal Year 2026:
- 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
The proposed 2026 budget contained lower Confidential and Intelligence Funds. Based on the NEP, the CIF sought for next is at P10.77 billion and to be divided among the following:
- Office of the President — P4.5 billion CIF
- National Intelligence Coordinating Agency — P1.141 billion CIF
- Department of National Defense — P1.848 billion CIF
- Other executive offices including the Anti-Money Laundering Council, National Security Council, and the Philippine National Police — P2.292 billion CIF
However, unexpectedly, the House of Representatives’ proposed budget for 2026 suffered a huge cut based on the NEP submitted by the DBM. Based on a report on GMA News, the cut is as much as P16.8 billion.
This year, the House of Representatives operates with a P34 billion budget. Based on the NEP for the proposed 2026 budget, the lower chamber is proposed to be given only P17.2 billion which will be divided for the following:
- P6.22 billion for general management and supervision
- P649 million for administration of personnel benefits and
- P10.34 billion for House of Representatives Legislative Program
From P7.73 billion this year, the proposed budget for Personnel Services of the House is down to P6.46 billion. From the P22.4 billion for the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) this year, the MOOE is down to P10.74 billion based on the current budget proposal for next year. Based on the report, there is zero allocation for Capital Outlay for the House.
Previously, it was reported that the office of Pres. Bongbong Marcos is seeking a little over P1 billion for the local and foreign trips of the President in 2026.