House eyes P27B budget for 2026

The House of Representatives is seeking a P27 billion budget for 2026, which is lower than its 2025 budget of P33 billion.

Under the 2026 proposed budget approved by the House on third and final reading under House Bill 4058, the House’s P27 billion budget is broken down to the following programs:

• P14.89 billion for general management and supervision
• P649.4 million for administration of personnel benefits and
• P12.16 billion for legislation of laws and other related activities 

Both allocations for general management and supervision and administration of personnel benefits werehigher than their 2025 budget for the same items at P11.9 billion and P574.2 million, respectively.

The P12.16 billion for legislation of laws and other related activities under the 2026 House-approved proposed budget, however, is way lower than the 2025 budget for the same item at P22 billion.

Bulk of expenses

The P27 billion budget being sought by the House for 2026, of which the largest share went to maintenance and other operating expenses at P18 billion, includes:

• travelling expenses at P 1.86 billion
• training and scholarship expenses at P66 million
• supplies and materials expenses at P1 billion
• utility expenses at P997.8 million
• communication expenses at P1.47 billion
• extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses at P1.43 billion
• professional services at P4.2 million
• general services at P297.5 million
• repairs and maintenance at P975 million
• taxes, insurance premiums and other fees at P114 million
• advertising expenses at P447.9 million
• printing and publication expenses at P154 million
• representation expenses at P515.6 million
• transportation and delivery expenses at P257,000
• rent/lease expenses at P24 million
• membership dues and contributions to organizations at P104 million
• subscription expenses at P78.4 million
• donations at P10 million
• other maintenance and operating expenses at P4.8 billion

The share for personnel services is at P8.12 billion, while the capital outlay budget reached P1 billion.

The P27 billion House allocation under the House-approved proposed 2026 budget, however, is an P11 billion increase compared with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. 's proposed budget for the House under the National Expenditure Program which just stood at P16.3 billion.

Under the President’s proposal, the P16.3 billion House budget will consist of:

• P6 billion for general management and supervision
• P574 million for administration of personnel benefits and
• P9.76 billion for legislation of laws and other related activities 

The President’s proposed House budget also allocated P5.9 billion for personnel services and P10.4 billion for maintenance and other operating expenses. The President gave the House zero for capital outlay. 

Sought for comment, Gabriela party-list Rep. Sarah Elago said the House must be transparent on its proposed budget to earn public trust amid the flood control mess.

“The call for the House of Representatives is to be transparent, to explain the reason for this increase, what are the items [involved]?,” Elago said in a press conference.

“Lalo na sa pa naman sa panahon ngayon na lantad-lantad yung mga issue ng corruption,” Elago added.

(This must be explained in detail especially now that corruption is the hot issue.) —VAL, GMA Integrated News