DBM releases 68% of 2026 national budget

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April 17, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines —The Marcos administration has released 68.1 percent of the P6.793-trillion national budget in 2026 in the first three months, a much slower disbursement pace than the previous year, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said.

Data from the Status of Allotment Releases report showed that the DBM released P4.63 trillion as of end-March, representing 68.1 percent of the year’s total allocation. The remaining balance is P2.17 trillion.

The releases are behind the 80.7 percent allotment release rate posted in the same period under the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Of the total released under the 2026 GAA, P2.77 trillion went to government agencies, for a disbursement rate of 75.4 percent of the adjusted P3.68 trillion programmed budget.

In terms of special-purpose funds, the government has already released P198.78 billion, which is 27.6 percent of the adjusted P719.4 billion budget.

The government has released P1.58 trillion, or 66 percent, of the adjusted P2.4 trillion budget under automatic appropriations.

Under this, the DBM has fully released budgets for the national tax allotment (P1.19 trillion), block grant (P93.98 billion), special account in the general fund (P36.47 billion) and pension of former presidents and former presidential widows (P480,000).

Retirement and life insurance premiums (RLIP) releases reached to P82.29 billion.

Meanwhile, net lending allocation amounting to P28.7 billion has yet to be disbursed, while 18.6 percent of the interest payments and 16.4 percent of the tax expenditures fund have been released.

The DBM said the program adjustments include P99.56 million in additional requirements for RLIP of various government agencies and a P6-billion allotment released for the implementation of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Program (RCEP).

For unprogrammed appropriations, the DBM has not released the full P54.78 billion intended to support foreign-assisted projects.

Meanwhile, the DBM said it disbursed P12.06 billion to a special account in the general fund, P133.63 million to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Modernization Program and P10.49 million to grants or donations.

As lawmakers floated proposals for a supplemental budget to finance programs that cushion the blow from rising fuel costs triggered by the Middle East war, DBM Secretary Rolando Toledo said the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) could be tapped.

“We’re already looking at the RCEF, it could be proposed (as a source of the) supplemental budget,” he told reporters, though the amount or source of funds for this measure remains uncertain.

Toledo said about P24 billion could be tapped from the fund, which collects levies from rice imports entering the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Economy Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the government is weighing a supplemental budget request of Congress to meet funding needs to address the oil crisis tied to the Middle East crisis, but warned that it may increase the country’s fiscal deficit.

Balisacan also cited the P238 billion in relevant appropriations identified by the DBM to support emergency measures in response to the Middle East crisis.