MANILA – The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) priority programs for 2026 must be listed in the programmed appropriations of next year’s national budget, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Tuesday.
Marcos stressed the need to exclude the DSWD programs in the unprogrammed appropriations next year to ensure the immediate delivery of services to the poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors.
“DSWD programs should no longer [be] in the unprogrammed appropriation next year,” Marcos said during a meeting at Malacañan Palace in Manila.
“Dapat nandyan na (programmed) para mabilis mapakinabangan (It should be automatically there so Filipinos would quickly benefit),” he added.
The DSWD budget was reduced by PHP10.85 billion or 4.79 percent from PHP226.67 billion in the 2025 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to PHP215.82 billion in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Marcos convened the meeting with the DSWD to discuss the results of the review of the government agency’s priority projects in the 2025 NEP that were defunded in the 2025 GAA.
The DSWD is requesting PHP41.8 billion as additional funding from the unprogrammed appropriations to cover the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) grants for the period August to December 2025.
Programmed appropriations already have definite funding sources and are readily implementable.
On the other hand, unprogrammed appropriations are standby appropriations which authorize additional agency expenditures for priority programs and projects, in excess of the original budget only when revenue collections exceed targets or when additional foreign project loan proceeds are realized.
During the first full Cabinet meeting on January 7, Marcos ordered the review of the programs in the NEP that were defunded by Congress, particularly those critical to the socioeconomic program.
He also sought the restoration of budget for critical projects of the administration. (PNA)