ABS-CBN
DPWH gets P529.6B budget, P20.7B cut goes to PhilHealth and calamity funds
The Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) proposed 2026 budget was reduced to P529.6 billion by the bicameral conference committee.
This reduction was P94.8 billion lower than the P624 billion initially approved by the House.
P20.7 billion of this cut came from savings generated by adjusting the costs of 10,000 DPWH projects using updated Construction Materials Price Data (CMPD).
Of these savings, P16.5 billion will be allocated to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and P4.2 billion to calamity funds under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian highlighted that the new adjustment factors for project costs now include logistics and hauling, making them closer to actual expenses.
Gatchalian also stated that PhilHealth must now raise its case rates given the increased budget allocation.
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News Sources
See how different news organizations are covering this story. Below are the original articles from various Philippine news sources that contributed to this summary.
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will receive an additional P16.5 billion for its 2026 budget, as approved by the bicameral conference committee.
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Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon is appealing to the bicameral conference committee to restore P45 billion to the DPWH's 2026 budget, which was reduced by the Senate.
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The Senate and the House of Representatives remain in a deadlock over the P45 billion budget cut for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in 2026, impacting approximately 10,000 infrastructure projects.
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The bicameral conference committee has approved the budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for 2026 at P529 billion.
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Deliberations on the P6.793-trillion national budget for 2026 are delayed due to a deadlock over the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget.
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