Marcos urges Congress to 'swiftly enact' proposed 2026 budget

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. on Wednesday urged members of Congress who will deliberate the proposed 2026 national budget to "swiftly enact" it. 

''I urge the honorable members of Congress to swiftly enact this budget. Let us work together to realize the full potential of our nation, nurture future-ready generations and fulfill our dream of a Bagong Pilipinas,'' Marcos said in the budget message. 

Marcos said the Philippines is on track with its "Agenda for Prosperity" and poised to be a leader among nations, especially in the Asia Pacific region. 

''However, while we have recovered from the pandemic, we recognize that there is still much to rebuild, and there is still much that can be achieved. We must not lose sight of our collective responsibility to ensure a brighter future for our people, especially the next generations,'' the President said. 

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier submitted the P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) to the House of Representatives.

The legislative body, holding the “power of the purse,” is set to start deliberating on the proposed budget allocations set by the executive branch for 2026 after the submission of the DBM.

Marcos said the priority recipients of the proposed FY 2026 National Budget are as follows: Education (P928.5 billion); Public Works (P881.3 billion); Health (P320.5 billion); Defense (P299.3 billion); Interior and Local Government (P287.5 billion); Agriculture (P239.2 billion); Social Welfare (P227.0 billion); Transportation (P197.3 billion); Judiciary (P67.9 billion); and Labor and Employment (P55.2 billion).

The proposed national budget remains committed to fulfilling the objectives of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, anchored on the following pillars: (1) Developing and Protecting the Capabilities of Individuals and Families; (2) Transforming Production Sectors to Generate More Quality Jobs and Competitive Products; and (3) Creating an Enabling Environment.

7.4% Higher

The proposed budget was equivalent to 22.0 % of gross domestic product and higher by 7.4% from the fiscal year 2025 budget of P6.326 trillion.

“While this is 7.4% higher than this year’s P6.326 trillion national budget, the Economic Team carefully considered the available fiscal space and worked diligently to tighten the budget,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said in her remarks during the ceremonial turnover of the 2026 NEP.

Next year’s proposed expenditure plan resulted from about P10.101 trillion budget proposals which was trimmed down due to limited fiscal space and the fiscal consolidation strategy as it targets gradually reducing the national government’s deficit from 5.5% of GDP in 2025 to 4.3% by 2028.

“Only those within the available fiscal space were considered. This ensures that even as we strengthen the economy and strive to achieve the nation’s full potential, we remain committed to reducing the budget deficit,” Pangandaman said.

Education

The education sector gets the biggest allocation in the proposed 2026 national budget with P1.224 trillion. 

In his budget message, President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. emphasized that this fulfills the constitutional mandate to assign the highest budgetary priority to the education sector.

According to Marcos, this notably meets the recommended education spending of the UNESCO Education 2030 Framework for Action of allocating 4.0 to 6.0% of Gross Domestic Product to education as the Philippines adopts a whole-of-government approach in investing in our learners to include the education expenditures of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which may be sourced from their Annual Block Grant and own sources of revenues, and the Special Education Fund of local governments. 

Marcos said the National Government education spending would also meet the UNESCO-recommended 15.0 to 20.0 percent of total public expenditure, in line with the administration's strong commitment to implementing a child-responsive budget and nurturing future-ready generations. 

PhilHealth

The National Health Insurance Program, meanwhile, is allocated P53.3 billion after the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) received zero subsidy this 2025.

Marcos said this amount is to strengthen pooled health financing systems, expand public subsidies, streamline insurance contributions, and reduce out-of-pocket expenses, especially for the poor and vulnerable.

To honor the promise of universal health care for every Filipino, the Department of Health will receive the third largest budget allocation at P320.5 billion, marking a 5.6 percent increase from the FY 2025 NEP, Marcos said. 

Marcos added that DOH hospitals in Metro Manila are allocated P27.7 billion, a significant increase of 20.2 percent from the previous year’s P23.1 billion. 

Separately, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) will receive P7.2 billion in 2026 to support its operations and facility upgrades. 

Reforms

During the turnover, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said that at least five significant reforms will be enforced by the House of Representatives in the scrutiny and enactment of the budget for fiscal year 2026.

The House will remove the “small committee” that collated institutional amendments, according to Romualdez.

It will also open the Bicameral Conference Committee on the budget to the public and the media and civil society, people’s organizations, and the private sector will also be invited to join budget hearings.

“A budget is not just a spending plan—it is a mirror of our priorities and a measure of our accountability to the people. And because this is the people’s money, the process of crafting it must be transparent, inclusive, and worthy of public trust,” Romualdez said.

The NEP is more than numbers on paper, according to Romualdez, saying that it is the government’s plan ''to make the vision of a Bagong Pilipinas real—roads that connect communities, markets where food is affordable, schools that open doors to opportunity, hospitals that save lives, and safe, secure communities for every Filipino.''

Romualdez further said the chamber would strengthen oversight—requiring timely reports from agencies and enabling real-time tracking of major projects. —VAL, GMA Integrated News