House panel OKs budget bill, including realignments from DPWH

 

MANILA, Philippines — Proposed realignments to the 2026 National Expenditures Program — particularly reallocations of the P255.5 billion budget removed from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) — have been approved by the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations.

During the panel’s hearing on Tuesday, 54 members of the committee voted in favor of House Bill (HB) No. 4058 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) while six voted against it, while four members abstained.

The approved HB No. 4058, along with the amendments raised by the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc), will form part of the committee report that will be forwarded to the House plenary for further discussions.

Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez first moved to terminate the deliberations by the BARSc on the P255.5 billion budget of DPWH that will be reallocated to different agencies. 

Committee chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing then approved the motion.

“There was a motion made by Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, duly seconded by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and again, seconded by Rep. Tonypet Albano, to terminate the deliberations on the proposals of the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee, with regard to how we will reallocate the P255 billion that will be moved out from DPWH,” Suansing said.

“There is a motion, duly seconded, the motion is carried.  The deliberations on the proposal of the BARSc is hereby terminated,” she added. 

After this, Rodriguez also moved to approve the budget bill and the committee report that would reflect the changes.

“After a series of budget hearings conducted by the committee on appropriations conducted by the committee on appropriations on the fiscal year 2026 General Appropriations Bill and taking into account the recommendations submitted by the […] BARSc, pursuant to Section 12 of the Rules of Procedure of the committee on appropriations, the committee proposes the following amendments and these are the ones you presented,” Rodriguez said

“We move to insert that in this motion so that the necessary adjustments shall be made to reflect these amendments.  So moved, Madam Chair,” he added.

While Rodriguez’s motion was seconded, there were Minority members who objected, prompting Suansing to divide the House.

During the course of the BARSc’s hearing on Monday, several realignments were proposed — the bulk of which includes the P60 billion subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).

Lawmakers, however, proposed a “conditional approval” for PhilHealth, noting that while they support the P60 billion increase in the PhilHealth subsidy, the state-run insurer must provide better services and not merely keep funds idle.

According to FPJ Panday Bayanihan party-list Rep. Brian Poe, as of June 2025, PhilHealth still has P464.9 billion in savings — which is not used to help Filipinos needing healthcare.

READ: House sub-panel OKs P60-B PhilHealth subsidy; better performance sought

The BARSc also transferred P37.30 billion from the DPWH to the education sector, which includes the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), and the Philippine Science High School (PSHS).

A large chunk of the changes were for DepEd’s Basic Education Facilities (BEF), as the BARSc’s current proposal will place P22.5 billion for the construction of new classrooms, and the provision of school equipment.

CHEd also received over P9 billion of realignments, but it was also approved under the condition that CHEd will implement programs and utilize their funds better. 

According to Suansing, the commission still has a P15.2 billion allocation that will expire by end of 2025, and will be reverted back to treasury.

Aside from these changes, the BARSc also pushed for a P32.06 billion increase for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), an aid for families experiencing emergencies.

The BARSc was created in place of the small committee as part of budget reform initiatives, to show the public what items in the national budget are increased or decreased, and to note who made the following proposals. 

Under the old practice, the small committee makes changes to the budget bill even if the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) has been approved on third and final reading.

READ: Suansing vows to pursue reforms in budget: No small committee anymore

Reforms came after the budget process was placed under intense scrutiny due to the discovery of faulty or non-existent flood control projects — many of which were allegedly made through insertions. /gsg