P241-billion budget proposed for DSWD in 2027 is below 2026 level

AID. Tricycle drivers queue to receive cash assistance distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City on March 17, 2026.

Rappler

Will lawmakers again push for a higher amount for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program?

AT A GLANCE

• The Department of Social Welfare and Development is seeking P241.6 billion for 2027, lower than the 2026 budget.
• The Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations program may receive much less than its previous allocation.

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MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), along with its attached agencies, is seeking a budget of P241.6 billion for 2027, the National Expenditure Program (NEP) showed.

It is among the top agencies with the biggest proposed allocations for next year, ranking eighth. But the 2027 figure is 8.6% lower than the P264.45 billion approved under the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) or national budget.

One of the programs which would have a funding cut is the Protective Program for Individuals and Families in Especially Difficult Circumstances, where the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) is lodged.

It would only get P33.29 billion under next year’s spending plan to assist around 4.6 million beneficiaries. The amount was nearly halved from the P63.9 billion under the 2026 GAA.

Initially, only P27.04 billion was proposed for AICS under the 2026 NEP. But the House of Representatives was persistent up to the bicameral conference committee level that the funding should be much higher. 

Civil society groups have tagged the controversial AICS program as “soft pork.” 

Congress introduced a provision in the 2026 national budget barring politicians from taking part in any cash aid distribution, including for AICS. Such a provision is also present in the 2027 NEP.

However, even the administration’s pet bill seeking to institutionalize the AICS program was stuck at the bicam level amid differences in the Senate and House versions, including the “anti-epal” clause.

Comparing the 2027 NEP against the 2026 GAA, decreases in funding allocations are also seen in other DSWD programs:

• Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program – P99.08 billion (from P113 billion)
• Social Pension for Indigent Senior Citizens – P51.64 billion (from P51.86 billion)
• Supplementary Feeding Program – P6.36 billion (from P9.56 billion)
• Sustainable Livelihood Program – P5.12 billion (from P5.31 billion)
• Disaster Response and Management Program – P3.32 billion (from P5.27 billion)

Next year, the DSWD could receive P1.89 billion for the Walang Gutom Program, where the agency provides a monthly food credit of P3,000 to household beneficiaries. So far, the program has reached a total of 600,000 families, and the government aims to boost this figure to 750,000 by 2028.

Another P900 million is earmarked for the Tara, Basa! Tutoring Program, which helps struggling readers in public elementary schools.

Meanwhile, the National Commission of Senior Citizens is asking for P3.83 billion for 2027, which is around 6% higher than the P3.6 billion provided under the 2026 national budget. The commission became an attached agency of the DSWD in 2025.

Under the 2027 NEP, P2.456 trillion is allocated for social services to strengthen the sectors of education, culture, and manpower development; social security, welfare, and employment; and health.

2027 is the last full year of the Marcos administration before the May 2028 presidential election.

Will lawmakers fight tooth and nail for a higher DSWD budget, especially for the AICS program? The House appropriations committee is conducting its budget hearing for the agency on September 8. – Rappler.com