House okays P6.7-trillion budget with P1.28 trillion for education in 2026

The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading its version of the proposed P6.793 trillion national budget for 2026 under House Bill 4058, with realignments that increased allocations to the education sector to an unprecedented P1.28 trillion.

This development occurred after the House plenary voted to approve House Bill 4058, with 287 yes votes, 12 no votes, and two abstentions.

The P56.6 billion realignment to the education sector raised the education budget to P1.28 trillion.

“The P1.28 trillion for the education sector is the highest ever in the history of our country. This is the first time in our history that we have breached the 4% international benchmark," said Nueva Ecija Reo. Mikaela Suansing, the chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations.

"And not only that, the current education sector's budget translates to 4.1% of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” she added.

The House version of the General Appropriations Bill realigned the entire P255 billion of the DPWH’s initial proposed budget for locally-funded flood control projects after  President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. called out anomalous flood control projects.

Out of the P255 billion, around P102 billion or 40% were realigned to the following basic services:

• P32.6 billion for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations under the Department of Social Welfare and Development
• P14.82 billion to Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) and
• P56 billion for additional funding to the Philippine Science High School System, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and State Universities and Colleges.

The House realigned P12 billion worth of funding under the proposed P6.7 trillion budget to state universities and colleges (SUCs) to implement the free college by introducing a special provision allowing the Commission on Higher Education to use P7,821,022,998.18 billion of its proposed budget to address the deficiency, with the rest being shouldered by other realignments.

With the realignment, the initially proposed P26.9 billion AICS budget for 2026 has been increased to P59.5 billion.  The TUPAD budget was hiked to P26.9 billion from P12.1 billion.

“This version of the General Appropriations Bill is truly responsive to the needs of the Filipino people in our country, a budget that Congress can be proud of,” Suansing said.

The House-approved version of the proposed 2026 national budget also reduced the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President Sara Duterte to the 2025 level of P733 million from P889 million after the Vice President skipped the House plenary defense of her office’s proposed budget.

The House also removed P35 billion worth of funding for Strengthening Assistance for Government Infrastructure Program (SAGIP) lodged under the unprogrammed fund.

Items under the unprogrammed fund are only funded when there is an excess revenue collection or funds from foreign loans or grants.

Suansing said the removal of the P35 billion funding as additional funding for the government infrastructure program was enough since the new unprogrammed appropriations would only provide support for the Philippine government’s counterpart funding for infrastructure programs under foreign-assisted projects, as well as social services programs.

“We made sure that the public will see every single line item. We want the public to see, line by line, where every peso of public funds go,” Suansing said.

These realignments, however, are not enough as far as Makabayan party-list lawmakers Antonio Tinio of ACT Teachers, Renee Louise Co of Kabataan, and Sarah Jane Elago of Gabriela

“We, the Makabayan bloc, vehemently oppose the passage on third reading of the proposed P6.7 trillion General Appropriations Bill for 2026," the bloc said in a statement.

"This budget is a brazen continuation of the corrupt pork barrel system that has plundered billions of pesos from the Filipino people through more than 9,000 flood control projects from 2022 to the present,” it added.

“The House leadership and the administration would have us believe this is a reform budget. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Despite the ongoing corruption scandal, the 2026 budget retains a massive presidential and legislative pork barrel totaling at least P695.78 billion,” the Makabayan lawmakers said.

The Makabayan legislators said the discretionary funds of the Executive branch lie with the P243 billion allocation lodged under unprogrammed appropriations, as well as the retention of the P10.9 billion worth of confidential and intelligence funds and the P8 billion worth of Barangay Development Fund under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

“Let us be clear: the President cannot escape command responsibility for this corruption. As President, he is legally required to approve all releases from unprogrammed appropriations," Makabayan said.

"Every ghost project, every overpriced contract, every substandard road and flood control structure built with these funds was approved under his watch,” it added.

GMA News Online is getting Malacañang's comment and will publish it as soon as it is available.