House lawmakers back DHSUD budget hike amid 2027 NEP cuts

MANILA, Philippines — Some lawmakers from the House of Representatives have sought to increase the budget of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) for next year amid significant cuts in the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP). 

During the House committee on appropriations’ briefing for the proposed budget of the DHSUD, House Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling asked the lawmakers to grant the agency’s request to seek more funds for their programs. 

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Aliling shared that the DHSUD and its attached agencies were allotted P5.498 billion under the 2027 NEP, which fell short of P54.501 billion from what it proposed of P60 billion. The NEP allocated P2.49 billion for DHSUD; P2.274 billion for National Housing Authority (NHA); P166 million for Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC); P450,000 for National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC); and P566 million for Human Settlements Adjudication Committee (HSAC). 

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However, the agency proposed the following: P4.962 billion for DHSUD; P44.732 billion for NHA; P4.666 billion for SHFC; and P890 million for HSAC. 

Given the budget cuts under the NEP, Aliling then requested additional funding of P280,290,000 for DHSUD; P1.623 billion for NHA; P2 billion for SHFC; P8.08 billion for NHMFC; and P47,547,000 for HSAC. 

House committee on housing and urban development chairperson Marivic Co-Pilar made the first motion to increase the funding for SHFC and other attached agencies of the DHSUD. 

Co-Pilar’s motion was then supported by lawmakers present in the hearing such as Reps. Leila de Lima, Lani Mercado, Roman Romulo, Elmer Catulpos, Rufus Rodriguez, Miro Quimbo, among others. 

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At the end of the budget briefing, committee on appropriations chairperson Mikaela Suansing asked the agency to write a letter to the panel determining the top three projects needing additional funding. Suansing noted that this is done for the panel to properly assess what to be given a budget increase upon the availability of the fiscal space. 

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With this, Aliling said that the top three priorities are the planning to perform mandates for the DHSUD, contract of service hiring and procurement for the HSAC, and the community mortgage program. /jpv