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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Mindanao solon files bill to ensure fair regional sharing in national budget

Mindanao solon files bill to ensure fair regional sharing in national budget

Published Aug 30, 2025 01:38 pm

At A Glance

  • Agusan del Norte Lone district Rep. Dale Corvera is seeking to mandate a more equitable regional share in national spending as the House of Representatives enters its third week of deliberations on the P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026.
Agusan del Norte Lone district Rep. Dale Corvera is seeking to mandate a more equitable regional share in national spending as the House of Representatives enters its third week of deliberations on the P6.793-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2026.
A vice chairperson of the powerful House Committee on Appropriations, Vergara filed House Bill (HB) No. 4018 for this purpose.
The measure aims to ensure that at least 50 percent of the executive’s proposed budget includes programs and projects endorsed by Regional Development Councils (RDCs).
RDCs are composed of local chief executives, regional heads of national government agencies, and private sector representatives, and serve as the highest policy-making bodies at the regional level, according to Corvera.
​Corvera said RDCs coordinate local initiatives with national goals and review regional budget proposals before submitting them to central offices for inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
​Despite the rigorous process, ​he frowned over the fact that less than 30 percent of RDC-endorsed initiatives make it into the NEP submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to Congress.
“Even in the proposed 2026 National Budget, Mindanao—with six regions including BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) —is allotted only 15.4 percent of the total national government budget, or just PHP1.042 trillion​," he said.
​"With the limited budget for Mindanao, we don’t know how much is allocated for RDC-endorsed programs, projects, and activities,” ​he added.
​H​B No. 4018 also seeks to address the disparity by requiring regional allocations to reflect socio-economic indicators​. ​These include population growth, employment generation, economic development, and poverty incidence.
He said the bill is designed to make the national budget more responsive to grassroots realities and accelerate inclusive development across all regions.
The NEP serves as basis for annual national budget measure filed in the House of Representatives. 
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