BUSINESS
Advocates Philippines
House Budget Backer Rep. Suansing Highlights DOF's Key Role In Filipino Progress
Photo credit: DOF
The House Committee on Appropriations Vice Chair, Sultan Kudarat Representative Bella Vanessa Suansing, recently took center stage, successfully sponsoring the Department of Finance’s (DOF) proposed 2026 budget. She made a clear case for the agency's crucial mission: advancing socio-economic mobility, safeguarding economic security, and ensuring a higher quality of life for all Filipinos.
In her sponsorship speech before the House Plenary on September 23, 2025, Representative Suansing characterized the DOF and its attached agencies as continually assuming the "prodigious role of mobilizing resources" to implement timely public investments. She highlighted the immense daily task of the department, which includes collecting a staggering PHP 13.65 billion a day in revenues and working to plug a PHP 4.51 billion daily deficit to support the government's PHP 18.61 billion daily spending for the coming year.
Despite this herculean mandate, the DOF’s proposed budget for 2026 remains notably modest. The amount is PHP 37.78 billion, representing a minimal 1.09% increase over the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) level and accounting for just 0.56% of the PHP 6.793 trillion proposed national budget. The updated level endorsed by the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc) amounts to PHP 37.91 billion, which includes funding for the rollout of the new Taxpayers’ Rights Program.
Following Representative Suansing’s adept defense, the House of Representatives was swift, terminating the plenary debates and endorsing the proposal’s approval on the same day. Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto offered thanks, noting that the Representative’s "solid background and experience" gave her a clear grasp of the DOF's mission, establishing her as a true ally in securing the nation's fiscal foundations.
Suansing, an Economics and Politics cum laude graduate from New York University with a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge, stressed that the proposed budget is vital for the DOF to adhere to the government’s fiscal consolidation strategy. This plan, outlined in the recalibrated Medium-Term Fiscal Program, aims to gradually reduce the government’s deficit and debt by 2028 while simultaneously creating more jobs, increasing incomes, and reducing poverty.
She underscored that the 2026 budget empowers the DOF to help the Marcos, Jr. administration pursue a true economic transformation through productive investments that will ultimately benefit every Filipino.
The DOF budget is focused on upskilling its workforce and enhancing digital infrastructure. About 45% of the proposed new budget will be directed toward Personnel Services, 38% to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), about 17% to Capital Outlays, and less than 1% to Financial Expenses. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will receive the largest share of the DOF budget at 55%, followed by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at 20%, and the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) at 14%. Across all agencies, digitalization and modernization initiatives remain a top priority, with a total budget of PHP 6.9 billion allocated to transform processes, integrate systems, and deliver faster, more efficient services.
In her sponsorship speech before the House Plenary on September 23, 2025, Representative Suansing characterized the DOF and its attached agencies as continually assuming the "prodigious role of mobilizing resources" to implement timely public investments. She highlighted the immense daily task of the department, which includes collecting a staggering PHP 13.65 billion a day in revenues and working to plug a PHP 4.51 billion daily deficit to support the government's PHP 18.61 billion daily spending for the coming year.
Despite this herculean mandate, the DOF’s proposed budget for 2026 remains notably modest. The amount is PHP 37.78 billion, representing a minimal 1.09% increase over the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) level and accounting for just 0.56% of the PHP 6.793 trillion proposed national budget. The updated level endorsed by the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc) amounts to PHP 37.91 billion, which includes funding for the rollout of the new Taxpayers’ Rights Program.
Following Representative Suansing’s adept defense, the House of Representatives was swift, terminating the plenary debates and endorsing the proposal’s approval on the same day. Finance Secretary Ralph G. Recto offered thanks, noting that the Representative’s "solid background and experience" gave her a clear grasp of the DOF's mission, establishing her as a true ally in securing the nation's fiscal foundations.
Suansing, an Economics and Politics cum laude graduate from New York University with a Master’s degree from the University of Cambridge, stressed that the proposed budget is vital for the DOF to adhere to the government’s fiscal consolidation strategy. This plan, outlined in the recalibrated Medium-Term Fiscal Program, aims to gradually reduce the government’s deficit and debt by 2028 while simultaneously creating more jobs, increasing incomes, and reducing poverty.
She underscored that the 2026 budget empowers the DOF to help the Marcos, Jr. administration pursue a true economic transformation through productive investments that will ultimately benefit every Filipino.
The DOF budget is focused on upskilling its workforce and enhancing digital infrastructure. About 45% of the proposed new budget will be directed toward Personnel Services, 38% to Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), about 17% to Capital Outlays, and less than 1% to Financial Expenses. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will receive the largest share of the DOF budget at 55%, followed by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) at 20%, and the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) at 14%. Across all agencies, digitalization and modernization initiatives remain a top priority, with a total budget of PHP 6.9 billion allocated to transform processes, integrate systems, and deliver faster, more efficient services.
Sep 25, 2025
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