Education, public works, and health remain the top sectors to receive the biggest allocations under the proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026.
According to government budget data made public Wednesday, the top three sectors have the same ranking as in the 2025 NEP.
The proposed national budget for next year amounts to PHP 6.793 trillion, 7.4 percent higher than the enacted 2025 budget.
The education sector will get PHP928.5 billion allocation, public works will receive PHP881.3 billion while the health sector gets PHP320.5 billion in allocation.
Defense moved up to fourth place with PHP299.3 billion, overtaking the interior and local government sector, which slid to fifth with PHP287.5 billion.
Agriculture rose to sixth place with PHP239.2 billion, switching spots with social welfare, now seventh with PHP227 billion.
Transportation and the judiciary kept their eighth and ninth positions with PHP198.6 billion and PHP67.9 billion, respectively, while labor and employment (PHP55.2 billion) entered the top 10 in place of the justice sector.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), in a budget briefer, said the 2026 NEP aims to sustain the country’s economic growth momentum while strengthening commitment to “investing in the Filipino people.”
“With the overriding commitment to fulfill our dream of a Bagong Pilipinas , the National Budget seeks to nurture future-ready generations towards achieving the full potential of the nation,” the agency said.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reiterated that he would veto the 2026 General Appropriations Bill if it is not aligned with the NEP, stressing that no budget will be approved unless it supports the administration’s development agenda.
The DBM presented the NEP to Marcos on Tuesday in Malacañang. It is set to be turned over to Congress on Wednesday.
The NEP will serve as lawmakers’ basis in crafting the General Appropriations Bill. (PNA)