A SMALL committee tasked by the House of Representatives to introduce individual and institutional amendments to the proposed 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) has increased by P292.23 billion the budget for social services, including the allocation for “ayuda” or financial assistance under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
The amount includes an additional P39.8 billion for the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) designed to offer immediate support to those facing financial hardships, and another P39.8 billion for the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
“The additional funding is crucial for supporting those in need. We’re providing assistance to struggling families especially during these challenging times,” said Rep. Zaldy Co (PL, Ako Bicol), chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, who heads the small panel.
The House of Representatives last September 25 approved on third and final reading Malacañang’s proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for 2025. The measure will be sent to the Senate after the amendments introduced by the small committee are incorporated.
Co said the funding package for 2025 “aims to address the pressing needs of vulnerable sector, including financially-challenged students, farmers, fisherfolk, soldiers, indigent families and those who barely passed the poverty threshold.”
The appropriations panel chair said the additional funding is on top of the P591.8 billion earmarked by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for cash assistance to impoverished families.
Co noted that the additional P39.8 billion cash assistance for AKAP, which targets those who earn P21,000 and below per month, is three times bigger than the actual 2024 allocation of P13 billion.
He said AKAP is designed for the “near poor” or “lower middle class” segment of the population, “which includes minimum wage earners vulnerable to economic shocks like sudden death of household head, sickness, loss of jobs or runaway inflation that can easily send them back to poverty.”
Co said the House also allocated P3.4 billion for the sustainable livelihood program for low-income families because “we believe that empowering individuals through livelihood programs will help break the cycle of poverty.”
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, the panel’s senior vice chair, said the Department of Labor and Employment will receive an additional P20.28 billion for the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) and the Government Internship Program.
“We must have funds on standby to support those who have crossed the poverty threshold to prevent them from falling back into poverty due to economic challenges. This budget is not just about numbers; it’s about the lives we can uplift,” she said.
As additional support for education, the House panel allocated P30.01 billion more to provide scholarships for underprivileged students pursuing tertiary education. The fund will be equally shared by the Commission on Higher Education’s Tertiary Education Subsidy and Tulong Dunong programs.
“Investing in education is investing in the future. Every child deserves the chance to learn and succeed,” said Quimbo, a former professor of economics at the University of the Philippines who is also a visiting professor at the Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Co said the Department of Education (DepEd) will also benefit from an additional P7 billion budget for the construction of new school facilities and repair of existing ones, particularly in underserved areas.
The AFP, for its part, will receive an additional P8.44 billion to increase subsistence allowances of military personnel. Once approved, the daily subsistence of soldiers will increase to P250 or a 67 percent hike from previous levels.
The AFP will also get P3.2 billion more to complete the airport expansion on Pagasa Island along with a shelter port in Lawak, Palawan in support of efforts to defend the West Philippine Sea against continuing Chinese intrusion.
To enhance food security, the panel realigned P30 billion for the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Irrigation Network Piping System, solar-powered irrigation systems, and cold storage projects.
Additionally, P44 billion has been added to the National Irrigation Administration’s budget for establishing pump irrigation and solar-driven pump irrigation projects.
The Department of Health is also set to receive an additional P56.87 billion, aimed at enhancing its health facility enhancement program, medical assistance for indigent and financially incapacitated patients program, and improving specialty and legacy hospitals.
A P1 billion budget has been earmarked for upgrading the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, a crucial facility in the country’s healthcare system.
