Reenacted budget to affect new programs, but not existing ones – DepEd
MANILA, Philippines — The reenacted budget that will take effect on Thursday, Jan. 1, would certainly have impacts, albeit minimal, on the rollout of new education programs, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Wednesday.
All ongoing and existing programs of the DepEd that support learners and teachers alike, however, will remain “unaffected,” according to Dennis Legaspi, DepEd’s chief media relations officer.
This is because the projects, which Legaspi did not identify, are fully-funded under the 2025 General Appropriations Act that will be reenacted until President Ferdinand Marcos signs the new budget bill into law for 2026.
Since the ongoing and existing programs for students and teachers are funded under the 2025 budget, this will ensure “uninterrupted continuity of operations,” Legaspi said in a statement to reporters.
But there’s still a catch, according to Legaspi. While the existing projects will not be affected by the reenacted budget, the DepEd’s new programs will, however, be impacted.
“The reenactment of the budget would only affect the rollout of new programs, and the brief period will be used by DepEd to finalize the necessary implementation guidelines,” Legaspi said.
The 2026 General Appropriations Act has a total budget of P6.783 trillion for the entire government operations, with the education sector securing the largest share of the pie at P1.38 trillion, based on what the bicameral conference committee has approved.
Of that amount, the DepEd will receive P961.3 billion, primarily aimed at procurement of textbooks, construction of classrooms, and school-based feeding programs.
READ: Bicam OKs DepEd budget hike; total now at P963.1 billion
However, the president failed to sign the reconciled budget bill, with Malacañang stating that he might sign it within the first days of January.
READ: Marcos to sign 2026 budget in first week of January
This means that the entire government will have to run on a reenacted 2025 budget, at least for a few days or so. /atm
