By Kenneth Christiane Basilio, Reporter
The Philippine government plans to allot more than P1 trillion to the education sector to meet the recommended spending benchmark by a United Nations (UN) agency, a Department of Budget and Management (DBM) document showed on Wednesday.
The 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) proposes to allocate about P1.224-trillion for education spending, a 15% increase from P1.055-trillion from this year’s budget, according to the DBM’s budget briefer, a copy of which was obtained by BusinessWorld.
The proposed allocation covers the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and state universities.
“This notably meets the recommended education spending of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Education 2030 Framework for Action of allocating 4.0 to 6.0% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” the document stated.
“National Government education spending will likewise meet the UNESCO-recommended 15.0 to 20.0% of total public expenditure,” it added.
The Philippines allocated 3.6% of GDP to education in 2023, according to the World Bank, missing the 4-6% benchmark set by the Incheon Declaration.
Meanwhile, the Public Works department saw its budget fall by 15% to 881.3 billion, with P235.1 billion going to flood management programs.
On the other hand, the Transportation department’s proposed budget more than doubled to P197.3 billion from P87.2 billion in this year’s spending plan, as the Marcos administration pushes ahead with mass transit upgrades and flagship infrastructure projects.
Other agencies that received a sizable share of the proposed budget are the following:
Health – P320.5 billion
Defense – 299.3 billion
Interior and Local Government – P287.5 billion
Agriculture – P239.2 billion
Social Welfare – P227 billion
Judiciary – P67.9 billion
Labor and Employment – P55.2 billion.
Budget hearings are expected to begin in September, giving lawmakers about a month to deliberate before Congress takes a month-long break on October 4, Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing said in early August.