Congress is responsible for shaping the budget of the country.

The process begins with the National Expenditure Program (NEP), prepared by the Department of Budget and Management and submitted to the House of Representatives.

Lawmakers in the lower chamber then deliberate on the proposed allocations of government agencies and offices before approving their version of the House General Appropriations Bill (HGAB).

The Senate subsequently reviews the House-approved budget and produces its own version, the Senate GAB (SGAB). Differences between the two versions are reconciled in the bicameral conference committee, which has begun work.

With the flood control corruption scandal casting a shadow over budget deliberations, attention has turned to how Congress is reallocating public funds.

Rappler reviewed both the HGAB and SGAB to identify the biggest gainers and losers in the 2026 budget process.

House’s biggest winners

Department of Education (DepEd)

DepEd emerged as the biggest gainer in the House of Representatives, securing an additional P39.6 billion. This raised the agency’s proposed budget under the HGAB to P914 billion, up from P874.5 billion in the NEP.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)

The House added P38 billion to DSWD’s budget, bringing the agency’s total allocation to P261 billion. The additional funding was allotted for Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), among others. Budget experts have criticized government’s ayuda programs, including AICS, as a form of “soft” pork.

Department of Health (DOH)

Lawmakers increased DOH’s initial budget of P253.8 billion by P29 billion, raising its total allocation to P283 billion.

Department of Agriculture (DA)

The House approved P27 billion additional funding to DA’s initial budget of P153 billion, bringing the total approved budget to P180 billion.

Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)

DOLE’s budget rose to P58 billion after the House approved an additional P13 billion. A portion of the additional funds was allotted to Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD).

House of Representatives (HOR)

The House also increased its own budget to P27.7 billion, from the P17.2 billion proposed in the NEP.

A comparison of the NEP and the HGAB showed that most of the increase went to maintenance and other operating expenses, which rose to P18.5 billion from P10.7 billion.

House’s biggest losers

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)

The DPWH’s budget dropped sharply from P880 billion in the NEP to P624 billion under the House-approved GAB.

The House did not unilaterally scrap P255.5 billion from DPWH’s budget. The agency submitted errata removing locally funded flood control projects, duplicated items, and other entries following the flood control scandal.

The NEP had been prepared and released by the Department of Budget and Management before the controversy surfaced. The removal of these items freed up funds that the House reallocated to other agencies.

Department of Transportation (DOTr)

The House cut DOTr’s budget by P21.8 billion, bringing its allocation down to P174 billion. The proposed budget of DOTr under the NEP was P196.27 billion.

Office of the Vice President (OVP)

Sara Duterte’s Office of the Vice President also took a hit in the House, which impeached her earlier this year. Lawmakers slashed the OVP’s budget by P156 million, reducing it to P733 million under the HGAB.

Under the NEP, the OVP sought at least a P903 million budget for 2026. During the budget deliberations in the House, Duterte refused to face the House of Representatives.

Senate’s biggest winners

DepEd

DepEd again emerged as a top gainer in the Senate, securing an additional P73 billion. This pushed its total proposed budget to P987.5 billion under the SGAB.

Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)

The Senate added P24 billion to DILG and its attached agencies, with a large share going to the Philippine National Police (PNP). The PNP received an additional P16.6 billion, raising its approved budget to P226.54 billion.

The Bureau of Fire Protection gained P4.52 billion, bringing its budget to P36.23 billion, while the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology received an additional P2.07 billion, for a total of P31.32 billion.

See the additional funding of DILG’s attached agencies below:

Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)

The PCG’s budget increased by P6.45 billion, bringing its total allocation to P44.56 billion.

State universities and colleges (SUCs)

The Senate added P7.35 billion to the SUC budget. From P128.8 billion in the NEP, allocations rose to P131.7 billion in the House and further to P139 billion in the Senate.

Commission on Higher Education (CHED)

CHED secured an additional P6.4 billion, raising its total approved budget under the SGAB to P49.996 billion.

Senate’s biggest losers

DPWH

The Senate further reduced DPWH’s budget by P53.99 billion, cutting it from P624 billion in the House-approved version to P570 billion.

During the budget deliberations, Senate finance committee chairman Win Gatchalian flagged duplicated projects, projects with no station numbers or specific details like location, and projects split into multiple phases, among others.

DA

While the DA gained P27 billion in the House, the Senate cut its budget by P21 billion, bringing its total allocation down to P159 billion.

DOTr

As in the House, the DOTr’s budget was trimmed in the Senate. Lawmakers deducted P18.81 billion, reducing the agency’s allocation to P155 billion.

DSWD

From the P261 billion approved by the House, the Senate cut P15.9 billion from the DSWD’s budget, lowering it to P245 billion.

DOH

The Senate also reduced the DOH’s House-approved budget by P13 billion, bringing the agency’s total allocation to P270 billion, from P283 billion.

DOLE

The Senate cut DOLE’s budget from the House-approved P58 billion to P50 billion. Gatchalian said that among the programs affected by the cut was Tupad.

Bookmark Rappler’s #BudgetWatch page for stories tracking how the government allocates and spends the public’s money. – Rappler.com