Analysts view the House of Representatives' proposed reallocations in the P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget as adjustments to spending priorities rather than a fundamental policy shift, warning that added funding for some programs could come at the expense of others.

The House Budget Amendments and Review Subcommittee (BARSc) approved higher allocations for education, agriculture, and infrastructure as lawmakers reviewed funding requests under the proposed national budget.

Education Receives P8.07 Billion in Additional Funding

The subcommittee approved P8.07 billion in added funding for the education sector, covering the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education, state universities and colleges, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. The sector's prominence in budget deliberations is anchored in the 1987 Constitution, which directs the State to assign the highest budgetary priority to education.

DepEd received P1.952 billion, broken down into P952 million for school safety and security, P350 million for the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning Program, P75 million for special needs education, P50 million for Madrasah education, and P25 million for Indigenous Peoples Education.

The panel also approved P2.102 billion for the Tertiary Education Subsidy and P1.766 billion for the Tulong Dunong program, which had no allocation under the National Expenditure Program.

P20.86 Billion for Agriculture, Aimed at El Niño Readiness

Agriculture secured an additional P20.86 billion, covering the Department of Agriculture, the National Irrigation Administration, and the Department of Agrarian Reform. The package includes P10 billion for Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk, P4.96 billion for farm-to-market roads, and P125 million for solar-powered irrigation pumps.

Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing, who heads the House Committee on Appropriations and Budget Review Subcommittee, said the agriculture amendments are intended to prepare the sector for a looming El Niño, a climate pattern typically associated with below-normal rainfall and dry spells that has historically coincided with declines in Philippine agricultural production.

"For the agriculture sector, collectively for the Department of Agriculture, National Irrigation Administration and Department of Agrarian Reform, we have recommended to add P20.86 billion, thereby adhering to the commitment of the House of Representatives to make sure that the budget for the year 2027 is El Niño-ready," she said in a statement.

The additional allocations come on top of the expenditure program's proposed P975.96 billion for DepEd, P176.5 billion for higher education, and P261.7 billion for agriculture.

'Recalibration' Rather Than a Shift

University of Makati political science professor Ederson DT. Tapia said the amendments show which programs Congress considers underfunded, but lawmakers should also examine which allocations would be reduced to finance them.

"At this point, I would call it more of a recalibration than a real shift in priorities," he told BusinessWorld in a Facebook Messenger chat. "In budgeting, you cannot look only at who gains. You also have to look at what is being reduced."

Mr. Tapia said the main risk is opportunity cost, as increasing funding for one program could deprive another of resources. Congress should ensure that addressing funding gaps does not create problems elsewhere, while avoiding excessive individual amendments that could undermine the coherence of the budget, he said.

"Many requests may be valid on their own, but taken together they can weaken overall fiscal discipline," he added.

Mr. Tapia said lawmakers should assess additional allocations against an agency's readiness to implement projects, its capacity to use the funds, and the expected public benefit. They should also determine whether agencies can realistically spend the additional funding within the year and identify which programs would be sacrificed to finance the increases.

"Almost every agency can make a case for more funding," he said. "The real job of Congress is to decide which uses of limited public money will create the greatest public value."

Premature to Call It a Fundamental Shift

Philippine Institute for Development Studies senior research fellow John Paolo R. Rivera said the amendments suggest some refinement of spending priorities, but it would be premature to consider them a fundamental shift before the final budget is approved.

"I would hesitate to call this a fundamental shift until we see the final composition of the budget," he told BusinessWorld in a Viber message.

The spending bill is still early in the legislative process: under Philippine procedure, it must win approval from the full House, pass the Senate, and be reconciled by a bicameral conference committee before the President signs the final 2027 General Appropriations Act into law.

Mr. Rivera noted that the original P7.2-trillion National Expenditure Program already prioritizes education, agriculture, and infrastructure, while the House panel is addressing programs identified during deliberations as unfunded or underfunded.

Moving resources between programs could create implementation gaps, he warned, particularly if reductions affect projects already under way or those with demonstrated results. Congress should evaluate the amendments based on clear funding needs, project readiness, spending capacity, measurable outcomes, and consistency with medium-term development goals, he said.

"Concern should not simply be which agencies receive more or less but whether every peso being moved can generate greater economic and social value than where it originally came from," Mr. Rivera added.

Lawmaker Flags 'Pork-Type' Amendments

Party-list Rep. Antonio L. Tinio criticized what he described as "pork-type" amendments worth P77.86 billion, equivalent to 67% of the P116.32 billion in total amendments approved by BARSc.

"These amendments show that pork has not disappeared from the national budget," Mr. Tinio said. "It has merely been repackaged under institutional amendments, local government support, infrastructure lump sums and cash assistance programs."

He urged the House to disclose the programs and amounts that would be reduced to finance the amendments, along with the proponents and project lists for infrastructure allocations.

"The House must show both where the money is going and what programs will pay for it," Mr. Tinio said.

Source: BusinessWorld