Metro Manila, Philippines – The president submitted the proposed 2027 national budget to the House of Representatives on Aug. 11, with items on basic education and public works having the biggest share, followed by health.
Under the ₱7.2-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP), the Department of Education (DepEd) topped the list with ₱976 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) at ₱644 billion, and the Department of Health ₱353.8 billion.
For local and regional development, ₱1.32 trillion is for the national tax allotment for local government units and ₱115.62 billion for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The proposed budget is ₱407 billion, or 6 percent higher, than the current expenditure.
Acting Budget Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said the spending plan seeks to benefit all sectors.
“A people-centered budget ensures that growth reaches every household, an inclusive budget leaves no sector and no region behind,” he said.
Meanwhile, Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy vowed a transparent budget scrutiny.
“Ang budget ay pera ng taumbayan. May karapatan silang malaman kung saan ito mapupunta. Sisikapin po natin na maging mas bukas pa ang pagbubuo ng ating national budget,” he said.
[Translation: The budget is for the people. They have the right to know where it will go. We will strive to make the formulation of our national budget even more transparent.]
The NEP will undergo hearings and deliberations as Congress draws up a General Appropriations Bill before the Christmas break and signed into law by the president before the year ends.
