Top 10 agencies with biggest allocations in proposed 2027 budget
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday, August 11, formally submitted the proposed P7.2-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2027 to the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The Department of Education (DepEd) has the biggest proposed allocation at P976 billion or 13.55% of the total expenditure program, in line with the constitutional mandate to prioritize education in the national budget.
It is followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which has a proposed allocation of P664 billion. Of this amount, P107.4 billion, or about 16% of the agency’s total proposed budget, is earmarked for flood control projects.
Here are the 10 agencies and sectors with the biggest proposed allocations under the 2027 NEP, according to DBM Acting Secretary Kim de Leon:
- DepEd: P976 billion
- DPWH: P664 billion
- Health (includes the Department of Health, specialty hospitals, and PhilHealth): P353.8 billion
- Department of the Interior and Local Government: P332.5 billion
- Department of National Defense: P328.8 billion
- Transportation (includes the Department of Transportation, Philippine National Railways, and Light Rail Transit Authority): P302.2 billion
- Agriculture (includes Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, National Irrigation Administration, National Dairy Authority, National Food Authority, Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation, Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, Philippine Rubber Research Institute, and Sugar Regulatory Administration): P261.7 billion
- Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD): P241.6 billion
- Higher Education (includes the Commission on Higher Education and state universities and colleges): P176.5 billion
- Judiciary: P86.3 billion
According to De Leon, the government also allocated P10.773 billion for confidential and intelligence funds in the 2027 budget proposal. Of this amount, P4.368 billion is for confidential funds, while P6.405 billion is for intelligence funds.
“We wish to reiterate that the use of confidential and intelligence funds remains subject to existing budgeting, utilization, liquidation, and auditing rules to ensure accountability and that the funds are used solely for their intended purposes,” De Leon said.
Confidential funds have come under scrutiny in recent years after the Commission on Audit flagged the funds’ use by Vice President Sara Duterte’s Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education when she headed it.
The alleged misuse of confidential funds is among the grounds cited in the impeachment case against Duterte.
The turnover of the NEP to the House of Representatives marks the beginning of the budget cycle in the legislative branch. Committee on Appropriations chairperson and Nueva Ecija 1st District Representative Mika Suansing said that the budget deliberations will begin on Monday, August 17.
Suansing said the chamber hopes to pass the House version of the budget by October 9. – Rappler.com
