Philstar.com
November 13, 2025 | 7:41am
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has underscored its commitment to empowering local governance and disaster resilience as the Senate opened this week its plenary deliberations on the P6.793 trillion 2026 General Appropriations bill.
In the early rounds of debates, fund allocations for local govenment units and disaster-response programs emerged as central priorities, reflecting Malacanang’s focus on empowering communities and ensuring swift recovery from calamities.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the DBM remains focused on improving fiscal discipline and the efficient use of public funds, particularly at the local level, to ensure that development projects are fully implemented and responsive to community needs.
“We really need to improve the budget utilization of the government, including and especially the local government units,” said Pangandaman.
“The most important thing for all of us, especially the implementing agencies, is to ensure that every one of those projects is carried out,” she added.
The debate agenda highlighted key appropriations under the Local Government Support Fund, special shares of LGUs in national tax proceeds and fire-code fees, death benefits for barangay officials, as well as the budgets for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Contingent Fund, Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund, Pension and Gratuity Fund and Unprogrammed Appropriations.
The DBM said these allocations are intended to reinforce LGU capacities in infrastructure development, disaster preparedness and social welfare delivery, particularly in provinces hit hardest by recent natural disasters.
The agency added that its focus on disaster funds follows back-to-back typhoons that devastated several regions this year. Typhoon Tino, which lashed the Visayas and northern Palawan, affected nearly 1.95 million Filipinos, forcing more than 40,000 families in Cebu alone to evacuate amid widespread flooding. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) recorded 188 fatalities from the storm.
Soon after, Super Typhoon Uwan battered eastern and northern provinces, displacing 1.4 million residents and cutting off power to nearly 3 million households, according to the Philippine News Agency.
Lawmakers have since called for tighter coordination between national agencies and LGUs to ensure that disaster response and local infrastructure funds are released promptly and utilized effectively, preventing bureaucratic bottlenecks that often delay relief and rehabilitation efforts.
Senators from both majority and minority blocs echoed the call for greater fiscal transparency and accountability mechanisms, especially for funds channeled through local governments.
The plenary debates on the 2026 GAB are expected to continue through the coming weeks as the Senate scrutinizes sectoral budgets and government spending priorities before final approval.