FY 2027 General Appropriations Bill Day 6 Part 1

Principal allocations and comparable requests: The House took up the Office of the Vice President (OVP) budget without a stated request or NEP total. Department of Education (DepEd) sponsor Rep. Maria Carmen S. Zamora described PHP 975.96 billion in the FY2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) for DepEd and six attached agencies including retirement and life insurance premiums (RLIP); PHP 973.4 billion was for the Office of the Secretary and more than PHP 2.56 billion for the six attached agencies. National Irrigation Administration (NIA) sponsor Rep. Joseph S. Tan gave a FY2027 request of PHP 232.788 billion against a PHP 46.355 billion NEP allocation. Department of Agriculture (DA) sponsor Rep. Anna York P. Bondoc, M.D., described a FY2027 NEP of PHP 198.45 billion for the department, attached agencies, and government corporations, against PHP 215.69 billion appropriated in the FY2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella described a FY2027 NEP of PHP 330.4 billion including attached agencies. The original Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submission totals for DepEd, DA, and DILG are not stated in this hearing. These are agency allocations and comparisons on the stated bases, not approvals of the appropriations.

Office of the Vice President budget consideration: The House took up the OVP budget and terminated debate without substantive questioning. The session contains no OVP presentation, request total, or allocation amount. The motion to terminate debate was not an appropriation vote.

DepEd program funding, execution, and proposals: DepEd sponsor Rep. Maria Carmen S. Zamora's presentation set out the FY2027 program proposals: PHP 11.4 billion for school-based feeding, PHP 38.12 billion for assistance and subsidies, and PHP 12.09 billion for Expanded Career Progression (ECP). She described PHP 12 billion for the 2027 ECP proposal in a later exchange, against a PHP 500 million average historical allocation; the proposal included a backlog and new promotion applicants, and no additional appropriation was approved. The presentation also covered education and safety programs.

Rep. Antonio L. Tinio cited a PHP 44.45 billion reduction in Office of the Secretary programs from FY2026 GAA to FY2027 NEP. Examples were new school-personnel positions falling from PHP 42.2 billion to PHP 31.7 billion; a PHP 11.4 billion feeding reduction; Indigenous Peoples Education from PHP 154 million to PHP 76 million; computerization from PHP 10.6 billion to PHP 5.7 billion; and textbooks from PHP 19.5 billion to PHP 6.4 billion. Zamora identified PHP 16.03 billion for learning recovery and PHP 50 million for Bayang Bumabasa as DepEd proposals. These were program-level comparisons, not a reconciliation of DepEd's principal total.

Tinio said school-operation allocations would rise 0.11 percent for elementary, 0.38 percent for junior high and 0.33 percent for senior high, against at least 6.2 percent inflation that year and more than 6 percent in 2026. Zamora cited about PHP 30 billion for school maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) in 2022 and PHP 61 billion proposed for 2027; Tinio proposed roughly PHP 3 billion more. Zamora agreed inflation had not been sufficiently reflected and undertook to review the formula; no amount was approved.

Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago cited a roughly PHP 14 billion (55.51 percent) feeding reduction; Zamora said coverage would fall from 180 to 120 days and gave about 35.2 million as local-farmer procurement, without restating a currency. Elago sought restoration to the prior level. Other funding questions included PHP 1.97 billion for Last Mile/geographically isolated and disadvantaged area (GIDA) facilities and 131 classrooms; Alternative Learning System (ALS) at PHP 722.13 million in the FY2027 NEP against PHP 897 million in the FY2026 GAA, with Rep. Percival "Perci" Cendaña advocating at least PHP 1 billion and an approximately 622,131-learner target; Asatid monthly compensation of PHP 12,500 and a PHP 16,000 wish-list rate; and PHP 120 million for an AI intervention in DepEd's wish list; Zamora cited a PHP 120 million 2026 allocation for AI-related implementation. This was not specifically an e-care amount, and no continuation or adequacy decision was made. The Asatid increase was a wish-list proposal, subject to government approval. Members asked for details on learner-support reductions and sought restorations; these were proposals and commitments, not appropriation outcomes.

NIA program mix, costs, utilization, and project accounts: Rep. Joseph S. Tan described the program mix, while Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc and other members raised costs, execution and project details.

Members discussed long-range development estimates separately from the principal request/NEP account. The sponsor cited roughly PHP 8 to 9 billion for restoration and more than PHP 20 billion for new irrigation generation, while a member cited PHP 21 billion for new irrigation. Members also discussed an estimate of PHP 1.6 million per hectare, PHP 960 billion for 600,000 hectares, PHP 640 billion for another 400,000 hectares, PHP 1.6 trillion combined, and PHP 160 billion per year over ten years for new irrigation; these are planning estimates, not appropriation totals, and the hearing gives differing bases. Dagooc separately compared PHP 63.2 billion for FY2026 with PHP 46.3 billion for FY2027; he described these as prior-year and proposed budget figures, but the source does not establish the appropriation basis. This comparison differs from the request/NEP comparison in the lead. NIA reported 49 percent utilization and 28 percent disbursement for 2026, with procurement and other delays. Another round reported a PHP 21 billion cut to national and communal irrigation subsidies and PHP 1.95 billion for small irrigation projects, while the sponsor said about PHP 60 billion of the request would support restoration, improvements and repairs. The rounds identify PHP 100 million for 164 critical watersheds, PHP 100 million for TAGO RIS canal repairs, a PHP 400 million FY2027 Quick Response Fund, and a FY2025 new National Irrigation Systems (NIS) Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) of PHP 14.3 billion with PHP 4.1 billion obligated (28.6 percent). Members requested project and regional breakdowns; Dagooc waived the answer to his request for at least 10,000 hectares of new service area, and NIA debate was terminated.

DA program funding, execution, and proposals: Rep. Antonio L. Tinio, Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago, Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula and other DA interpellators addressed Rice for All, fertilizer support, Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), Indigenous Peoples livelihood, fisherfolk insurance, fisheries monitoring, and farm-to-market roads. Rice for All had a PHP 10 billion FY2026 special provision released directly to Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI); the sponsor reported PHP 586.16 million first-half revenue and program results. Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) Tier 2 had a PHP 536.77 million FY2027 request, with a member saying about PHP 500 million had been denied; the exchange compared 2.4 in the FY2026 GAA with 1.8 proposed for FY2027, without currency or unit, and cited a 34 percent decrease. The Indigenous Peoples 4K livelihood program compared PHP 250 million in FY2026 GAA with PHP 128.29 million in the FY2027 NEP. Weather-index insurance had a PHP 10 million 2025-2026 pilot and a further PHP 10 million FY2027 phase. Vessel Monitoring System/Electronic Reporting System (VMS/ERS) expenditure was PHP 3.440 billion for 2018-2026, with PHP 40 million remaining in June 2026 and PHP 500 million proposed for FY2027.

Bondoc reported a nearly PHP 9 billion request for expanded fertilizer assistance and agreed to provide detailed reporting on fertilizer access. Elago requested details on fuel assistance; Bondoc said fuel support came from DBM savings, would be added to the Quick Response Fund, and that DA was seeking more funds, but gave no 2026 spending total or decision date. Commodity prices, boat costs, tax proposals and private costs remain in the policy exchanges. For RCEF, members discussed a PHP 30 billion tariff-collection threshold, PHP 10 billion set aside in 2025, collections of PHP 34 billion in 2024, PHP 13 billion in 2025 and PHP 4.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026. A PHP 30 billion FY2027 RCEF request was stated, but the modifier before the word request was unclear; Elago asked how the funding shortfall would be addressed, and no mechanism was supplied.

The FY2027 farm-to-market-road (FMR) proposal was PHP 16 billion, with most listed projects at PHP 30 million or less; members examined PHP 500 million and PHP 250 million projects, a PHP 1.54 billion Cordillera Administrative Region total including PHP 1.03 billion for eight Benguet projects, and PHP 2.5 billion for FY2026 Sultan Kudarat roads. Tinio challenged validation and implementability; the sponsor said the projects had been validated and committed to provide supporting records. FMR Watch reported PHP 109.5 billion appropriated for 2021-2026. For FY2025 FMR, PHP 23 billion was allocated and PHP 13 billion released; PHP 10.7 billion under For Later Release (FLR) was described as recently released, while the reported share was disputed. For FY2026, PHP 34.2 billion was appropriated across 1,699 projects, PHP 4.7 billion in SAROs was released, and a PHP 18 billion omnibus SARO awaited release. The rounds distinguish appropriations, releases and awaiting release from completed implementation. A separate 2026 fertilizer augmentation of PHP 2.2 billion had inconsistent scope descriptions; PHP 1.8 billion under FY2027 RCEF concerned biofertilizers, while a different PHP 1.8 billion was discussed for 2025 procurement/utilization. Members requested procurement and bidding detail and reports; no later procurement result was supplied in these exchanges.

Ismula cited separate DA totals of PHP 186 billion FY2026 GAA and PHP 171 billion FY2027 NEP and Production Support Services of PHP 35.6 billion and PHP 29.8 billion, while Bondoc cited a PHP 42 billion FY2027 DBM proposal and PHP 29.7 billion NEP amount for the subprogram. These were differently scoped member comparisons, not reconciled with the sponsor's principal NEP figure.

DILG components, execution, and program funding: DILG sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella described a request for 1,095 emergency-response vehicles, reinstatement of the Seal of Good Local Governance, police and fire-station capacity requests, rescue vehicles and ambulances, and proposed authority for the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) to retain self-generated income; these were requests or proposals, not stated funded outcomes. Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula expressed support for increased budgets for the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), citing service needs but no amount or adopted increase.

Rep. Presley C. De Jesus separately described a proposed-expenditure program of PHP 310 billion in 2026 and PHP 332 billion in 2027; this is not the principal NEP figure in the lead. The net increase included PHP 21.50 billion attributed to personal services, while capital outlays declined by about PHP 1.97 billion. Fuentebella itemized PHP 4.3 billion for retirement gratuity, PHP 6.4 billion for terminal leave, and PHP 2.091 billion to create 6,000 positions, later giving PHP 2.9 billion for positions; the two position-cost figures were not reconciled. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) fee collections were PHP 4.5 billion a year, with DBM funding of PHP 1 billion yearly; Fuentebella sought 80 percent of fee collections for BFP use. De Jesus and Fuentebella discussed equipment and fire-station shortages. Rep. Percival 'Perci' Cendaña asked for a BFP national master plan with annual targets; Fuentebella committed to submit it by the following Monday.

Unified 9-1-1 financial reporting included a 2.45 percent 2025 obligation rate, PHP 1 billion stated for 2025 and about PHP 1.4 billion described as 2025 disbursement while the exchange referred to both 2025 and 2026. Fuentebella committed to provide a same-day spending breakdown. FY2027 9-1-1 funding was PHP 224 million for centers/vehicles; the sponsor later stated a PHP 372 million need and PHP 373 million for operating costs. These are distinct statements, and the ambulance request had no amount.

The Local Government Empowerment Program had PHP 6.494 billion with 69 percent disbursed in 2025. The Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) allocation was PHP 27 billion in 2025, PHP 57 billion in 2026 and PHP 58 billion proposed for 2027; DBM released and selected funds while DILG monitored projects. The Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council had a PHP 1 billion request, PHP 124 million in the FY2027 NEP and PHP 357 million in the FY2026 GAA; a later PHP 901,716,000 request was not reconciled with the billion-peso amount. Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago cited cuts of PHP 20 million for a child-development-center program and PHP 182 million for accreditation, from PHP 207 million to about PHP 24 million; Fuentebella supported restoration. Elago also cited a 13 percent PCW program cut and called for restoration; no sponsor response or disposition followed in that round.

Gender and Development (GAD) oversight figures were not DILG appropriations: In response to Rep. Iris Marie Demesa Montes, Fuentebella cited PHP 1 trillion in national-entity GAD budgets for FY2025, excluding LGUs. Elago separately cited 80.62 percent utilization in the final GAD report. For the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Elago cited PHP 36 billion in total agency funding and PHP 30.2 billion allocated to GAD (83 percent), as reported in the source's GAD utilization report. The separate measures remain scoped to the named agencies. DILG's original DBM request total was not stated.

Budget consideration and disposition: The House took up the proposed budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) on the motion of Floor Leader Rep. Gil "KabarangayJr" Acosta. Deputy Speaker Jose C. Alvarez was recognized to answer questions, but Rep. Antonio L. Tinio moved to terminate interpellation and debate without substantive questioning. Acosta said the majority joined the motion. Presiding Deputy Speaker Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V approved termination without objection.

Department of Education (DepEd): The FY2027 proposal allocates PHP 11.4 billion to DepEd's school-based feeding program. Zamora said it would provide nutritious meals to public-school learners to address malnutrition, improve attendance, and support children's physical and mental readiness to learn.

The proposal allocates PHP 38.12 billion for government assistance and subsidies, which Zamora said would support learners' access to basic education through public and private providers.

The proposal allocates PHP 12.09 billion to the Expanded Career Progression Program to enable the promotion of qualified teachers.

Citing gun violence in schools, Zamora said DepEd's proposed budget provides for school safety and security. She urged the Chamber to give the allocation serious consideration and consider enhancing it at the appropriate time. She gave no amount for the safety allocation or proposed enhancement, and no approval of an increase is recorded in this presentation.

Zamora cited the Philippines' 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment results, describing the country's strongest performance since joining in 2018 and gains from the prior cycle of 20 points in reading, 17 in science, and 16 in mathematics. She said the gains reflected reforms funded in recent years and the work of teachers and learners, and argued that continued investment in learners, teachers, and classrooms would sustain progress.

Rep. Antonio L. Tinio: Rep. Antonio L. Tinio questioned cuts to major Department of Education (DepEd) programs in the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), comparing it with the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). He cited a PHP 44.45 billion reduction in the Office of the Secretary's programs. Examples included new school personnel positions falling from PHP 42.2 billion in 2026 to PHP 31.7 billion in 2027; the School-Based Feeding Program reduced by PHP 11.4 billion; Indigenous Peoples Education falling from PHP 154 million to PHP 76 million; computerization from PHP 10.6 billion to PHP 5.7 billion; and textbooks and instructional materials from PHP 19.5 billion to PHP 6.4 billion. He also cited reductions in learner support, sports, special needs education, literacy, personnel benefits and other items, and said the Child Protection Program was removed from the 2027 budget. These were Tinio's cited program comparisons, not a full reconciliation of DepEd's total appropriation.

Sponsor Rep. Maria Carmen S. Zamora acknowledged the reductions from the 2026 GAA to the 2027 NEP, while saying DepEd's proposed NEP levels for 2026 and 2027 were almost the same and the House had appropriated more in the 2026 GAA. She said lower funding would affect the Department's performance and left further support to the House. Tinio confirmed that DepEd was relying on Congress for additions.

Asked to state DepEd's priorities, Zamora listed a proposed PHP 16.03 billion for learning recovery, including the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, and PHP 50 million for the Bayang Bumabasa initiative. She also named additional proposed appropriations for personnel improvement and the learning environment, including textbooks and school safety and security initiatives. Tinio requested the complete priority list; Zamora agreed to provide it, and Tinio said he would obtain it later. No appropriation vote or final disposition on these requested additions appears in this exchange.

Tinio distinguished maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) delivered to public schools from DepEd's total MOOE. He said the proposed 2027 school-operation increases were 0.11% for elementary, 0.38% for junior high and 0.33% for senior high, arguing that these were below the inflation figures he cited: at least 6.2% that year and over 6% for 2026. He asked why school-level allocations rose so little.

Zamora said DepEd used a simplified normative formula that considers student and teacher counts, classrooms and the cost of goods and services linked to school standards. She cited about PHP 30 billion for all schools in 2022 and a proposed PHP 61 billion for 2027. Tinio said the formula's calculation did not adequately account for inflation; Zamora agreed inflation was not greatly considered and said DepEd would review the policy and take the observation into account. Tinio said roughly PHP 3 billion more for school MOOE would be needed to keep pace with inflation. This was his estimate and request; no approval or commitment to that amount was recorded.

Tinio asked whether DepEd would request new teaching items for 2027, citing a shortage he put at at least 14,000. Zamora said hiring would continue using 2026 GAA appropriations and available items through December, even without new items in the 2027 proposal. She reported 31,428 positions created under the 2026 GAA, 22,711 filled and 8,688 unfilled as of June 30, 2026, plus 12,646 unfilled positions from prior years; she described the combined total as around 20,000-plus. Asked why hiring lagged despite qualified applicants waiting, she cited hard-to-fill specialized non-teaching roles, special hiring guidelines and shortages of qualified applicants for some specializations. She clarified that the cited 20,000-plus unfilled positions were teaching positions, with other unfilled non-teaching items in addition.

On the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) program, Zamora said the 2027 proposal was PHP 12 billion. Tinio said he understood that about 100,000 of a projected 135,000 promotions represented a backlog, leaving funding for around 35,000 new applicants in 2027; Zamora confirmed that account. She said DepEd had historically averaged PHP 500 million in allocation and promoted about 5,000 teachers, while the current proposal targeted around 135,000 promotions. Looking ahead, she said the Department aimed to promote an average of 100,000 teachers annually, but the 2027 implementation was constrained by the backlog and a more realistic rollout.

Tinio raised concerns from existing licensed guidance counselors, many with master's degrees and salary grade 11, about being overtaken in pay by newly hired school counselor associates. Zamora said DepEd's reclassification request was already with the Department of Budget and Management and gave salary grades 11 to 16 as an example of the proposed adjustment, including incumbent counselors, so they would not be left behind. Tinio said he would follow up with DBM on the salary upgrade. The sponsor reported a pending request, not a completed reclassification.

Rep. Percival "Perci" Cendaña: Representative Percival 'Perci' Cendaña asked why DepEd issued a follow-up memo about Pride Month attendance after the earlier memo had already described participation as voluntary. DepEd sponsor Representative Maria Carmen S. Zamora said the later memo followed a colleague's request during a committee hearing to emphasize that participation was strictly voluntary, not mandatory. Cendaña said there was nothing wrong with the earlier memo and that LGBT students and pupils deserve to feel accepted in school. He thanked DepEd for embracing inclusion and standing against stigma and discrimination.

Cendaña raised the school shooting in Banga, South Cotabato, which he described as the third such case in three months, and asked what administrative or legal liability DepEd would impose on employees who failed to secure firearms. Zamora said the department was addressing the concern; the parent had already been relieved from his disaster risk reduction and management post at DepEd, and an investigation was pending.

Asked whether DepEd had an internal policy or administrative circular on responsible gun ownership, Zamora said it had no internal policy and left adherence to existing firearm-handling laws to each employee and personnel member. Cendaña urged a prompt circular and possibly stricter gun-ownership policies within the department. Zamora took note and separately said DepEd was committed to improving its implementation of Zones of Peace to make learning environments safer.

Cendaña asked how much of the 2027 Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF) and other DepEd programs and activities was earmarked for Last Mile schools and schools in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA), and how many classrooms it would fund. Zamora first cited a 1.9-billion-peso proposal, then specified 1.97 billion pesos under the 2027 NEP and later repeated that amount for the Last Mile School Program. She said it was included in the Basic Education Facilities lump-sum appropriation rather than shown as a separate line item, and that it would fund 131 classrooms.

Zamora said the GIDA Act's implementing rules were still being drafted and were expected by November, the deadline she attributed to the law. Cendaña noted that Last Mile schools, inclusive learning resource centers, technical-vocational laboratories, Alternative Learning System (ALS) centers, and other school buildings were grouped under one line item, making BEFF tracking difficult. He requested a breakdown of BEFF allocations and facility counts by item to make planning more transparent.

Cendaña cited an EDCOM 2 and DepEd estimate of 4.9 million out-of-school youth and asked for the Alternative Learning System (ALS) proposal for 2027. Zamora gave 722.13 million pesos, compared it with 897 million pesos in the 2026 GAA, and characterized the difference as around 75 million pesos, a stated difference that was not reconciled with the two totals. Cendaña described the reduction as more than 70 million pesos.

Asked how many out-of-school youth the proposal could reach, Zamora said it targeted around 622,131 learners for 2027. She compared that with an overall out-of-school-youth figure of around 6 million and said the target remained far short. Cendaña voiced support for increasing ALS funding to at least 1 billion pesos, citing the gap in coverage; this was expressed support, not a recorded appropriation vote.

Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago: Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to report on its responsibilities under the strengthened early childhood care and development (ECCD) system, including curriculum, staffing and funds for the current and next year. Sponsor Rep. Maria Carmen S. Zamora said ECCD funding was no longer lodged at DepEd but under the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), with DepEd serving as a co-chair in implementation.

Elago said the ECCD Council had experienced a cut of more than 50 percent and that DILG had reported the available funds would not meet needs for new Child Development Centers. She said responsibility to establish centers now rested with local government units (LGUs), some of which, particularly in 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-class municipalities, lacked capacity and funds. She asked whether DepEd had a line item for monitoring, evaluation and training child development teachers and workers. Zamora said DepEd remained responsible for assisting with ECCD curriculum, while the Council budget was under DILG; she would check how much was proposed for the relevant line item. Elago asked whether DepEd would support a special provision to help LGUs establish centers. Zamora committed DepEd to helping the Council and said its concern extended to all learners, but gave no specific funding commitment. No amount for the ECCD line item or disposition of a special provision was stated in this exchange.

Elago said the 2027 proposal reduced the School-Based Feeding Program by about PHP 14 billion, or 55.51 percent, and asked how the cut would affect service delivery and school coverage. Zamora said the proposed allocation would reduce implementation from 180 days to 120 days and limit universal coverage to kindergarten learners. Elago supported restoring the program's funding to its 2026 level. The exchange records her support for restoration but no vote or final appropriation disposition.

Elago asked whether DepEd procured food directly from local farming and fishing cooperatives and how much of the program's current budget went to them. Zamora said procurement was localized at the division level, with local farmers' rice considered, and cited DepEd data showing around 35.2 million used for local-farmer procurement under the program; the currency was not specified in that answer. Elago requested a detailed report from the Department of Agriculture and raised the need for funding to rescue surplus local produce that might otherwise be discarded and use it in government programs. No response or funding disposition for that proposed food-rescue support appears in the assigned exchange.

Elago said the report she received listed DepEd gender and development activities separately, including the 18-Day Campaign to End Violence Against Women, National Consciousness Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Bawal Bastos Law activities, Committees on Decorum and Investigation, gender-based sexual harassment awareness and Human Rights Month integration. She requested a detailed account of how gender and development was integrated into major programs, including whether community kitchens for school feeding could employ mothers seeking work and support the economic participation of marginalized communities and gender-diverse people. She asked for a utilization report showing integration across programs rather than separate activities. A response to this reporting request is not recorded within this round.

Elago asked how DepEd developed critical thinking, responsible decision-making and civic participation beyond academic performance. Zamora said critical thinking was incorporated into curriculum improvements and instruction, with strategies including expanding electives nationwide, introducing NC3 qualifications for Grade 12 learners, and strengthening life, career, work-immersion and career-aligned elective skills.

Elago then asked what additional resources were needed and cited a 37 percent cut to the Learner Support Program. She requested particulars and warned that inadequate funding could constrain access to counseling and other support services for learners, teachers and education stakeholders, including mental-health services. She also cited uneven support for school libraries, playgrounds, community gardens and spaces for student organizations, and supported higher DepEd funding for school feeding, learner support and mental-health services. Zamora thanked her for supporting the Department's proposed programs but did not provide the requested particulars of the cut or a specific resource commitment in this exchange.

Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula: Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula asked sponsor Rep. Maria Carmen S. Zamora to confirm the monthly baseline compensation for Asatids teaching Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education under the Madrasa Education Program. Zamora confirmed PHP 12,500 per month, implemented in 2024. She said DepEd's wish list proposed raising the monthly honorarium from PHP 12,500 to PHP 16,000, subject to Congress; Ismula restated that the increase depended on fund availability and approval, and Zamora agreed. No increase was approved in this exchange. Ismula noted that he had previously raised delayed compensation and commended DepEd for a significant improvement in payment timing, urging that timely release continue. He also said the FY2027 proposed Madrasa Education Program budget was below its FY2026 GAA level and urged restoration at least to that level to ensure support for Asatids and Muslim learners; no amount or disposition of this request was stated here.

On the planned absorption of Islamic Studies and Arabic Language (ISAL) teachers from Sulu, Zamora said around 800 existing teachers would be absorbed automatically without reapplication, subject to further training. She set the effective date at January 1, 2027, and said their compensation would remain under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through December 2026 before DepEd assumes it in January. Asked for a commitment that current ISAL teachers would be absorbed, Zamora said DepEd was committed and reconfirmed January 1 as the start date. Ismula then raised the lack of omnibus hiring, reappointment, or absorption guidelines and the uncertainty this created for teachers, and urged DepEd to issue guidance promptly. The exchange records the commitment and start date but gives no issuance date for the guidelines.

Ismula asked how DepEd used AI to detect speech impediments and assess learners' health needs through e-care, then asked for e-care's current-year budget and whether it could sustain the projects. Zamora described existing AI interventions, including taking a learner's picture to measure height and weight. She said DepEd's wish list proposed PHP 120 million for AI intervention the next year, subject to government approval. Asked for the 2026 amount, she reported a PHP 120 million allocation for AI-related implementation. She did not identify either figure as an e-care-specific amount or directly address whether the funding was enough to continue the projects.

Passing on questions from an Akbayan colleague, Ismula relayed a teacher organization's concern that teachers had not been adequately consulted about curriculum adjustments, the expanded career progression system, grading changes, and a three-term school calendar, which he said were causing confusion and adding burdens. He asked how DepEd would ensure consultation and corresponding funding before nationwide implementation, and urged it to continue consultations so affected stakeholders were reached, with proper orientation, teaching funds, and rest for teachers before calendar or curriculum changes. Zamora said several consultations and policy orientations were already under way and committed DepEd to reaching stakeholders so policies and program improvements would be informed and communicated. Her answer addressed consultation and orientations but did not address the question's corresponding-funding point.

Asked about burnout and demoralization from repeated, sudden policy changes, Zamora described DepEd teacher-wellness interventions and cited a two-day wellness break announced the previous week. Ismula welcomed the break, noting that his sister, a DepEd teacher, had used it, and urged the department to continue it. In closing, he said teachers provide both instruction and care to children and urged colleagues not to withhold needed funding and rest from teachers and personnel.

Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc: Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc relayed the longstanding appeal from Dr. Allan Laniba of Karate-do Pilipinas Region 8 and Filipino Shotokan Karatedo (Filshokai) to include Karate-do in Palarong Pambansa. He noted its presence in Batang Pinoy but continued exclusion from the Palarong Pambansa roster, and asked whether it could be reconsidered. DepEd sponsor Representative Maria Carmen S. Zamora said the matter would be placed on the relevant board's agenda for its next meeting, where consideration of Karate-do as a demonstration sport would be taken up. Dagooc said he would provide Laniba's letter later.

Dagooc asked what DepEd reports under the budget special provision requiring quarterly financial and physical accomplishment reports through the Unified Reporting System within 30 days each quarter. Zamora said the Department of Education (DepEd) submits quarterly physical and financial accomplishments to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), as all agencies must. She said the report covers the department's budget and fund utilization alongside progress against physical targets.

Dagooc asked whether the reports track completed and unfinished classroom construction and the number of teaching and non-teaching positions filled against annual allocations. Zamora confirmed both are included.

Dagooc returned to the school feeding program, asking whether its allocation had been moved into another budget item after the standalone line disappeared. Zamora distinguished the comparison bases: the 2027 NEP shows a decrease against the 2026 GAA, while the 2027 NEP is almost at the same level as DepEd's proposed 2026 NEP. No amounts were stated in this exchange.

Dagooc described the program's importance to children who arrive at school without breakfast and cited the Siargao and Dinagat electric cooperatives, saying that two or three schools had been adopted and received regular feeding. Zamora called feeding a departmental priority and, while acknowledging budget limits, said the department wished for the program's proposed allocation to increase under the 2027 GAA. This was a departmental wish, not a recorded appropriation motion.

Asked about DepEd Order No. 40, Series of 2012, Zamora identified the Child Protection Policy, including school Child Protection Committees and other interventions such as the Learner Rights Protection Specialization course. Dagooc asked whether every school had a committee. He noted that not all did and referred to a count of 33,000, which he said had grown substantially; Zamora said the policy mandates a committee in every school but current data showed 33,000 functional committees.

Dagooc pressed on whether committees were functioning, citing recent incidents and his concern for his grandchildren in school. Zamora committed that DepEd would intensify implementation of the program, especially creating Child Protection Committees in schools.

Dagooc moved to terminate interpellation and debate on the Department of Education and its attached agencies for fiscal year 2027. Floor Leader Rep. Alyssa Michaela "Mica" M. Gonzales said the majority joined. With no objection heard, presiding Deputy Speaker Francisco Paolo P. Ortega V announced that the DepEd budget was approved. The motion raised in this exchange was to end debate; the recorded disposition here is procedural termination, not a separate appropriation motion.

National Irrigation Administration (NIA): Rep. Joseph S. Tan, presenting the proposed fiscal year 2027 budget of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), described irrigation as support for farm production, farmers' livelihoods and food security. He argued that NIA should expand irrigation to rain-dependent agricultural areas, rehabilitate aging or damaged facilities, modernize water delivery, and build infrastructure able to withstand droughts, floods, typhoons and climate change.

Tan said funding should translate into hectares irrigated, reliable water, higher farm productivity and incomes, with projects planned for readiness and completed on time. He called for stronger partnerships with irrigators' associations, farmers and local governments, and said irrigation should complement seeds, fertilizer, machinery, post-harvest facilities, farm-to-market roads, credit and market access. He emphasized that these investments would be less effective where farms still lacked water.

Tan also called on Congress to demand accountability for delays and measurable results, including farmers helped, hectares receiving reliable irrigation, additional harvests and improved farmer incomes. He submitted NIA's proposed FY2027 budget for the chamber's consideration and said he was ready to answer questions. This presentation states neither NIA's principal FY2027 NEP allocation nor its original agency request, and gives no amount from which either can be inferred. Submission for consideration is not an appropriation approval.

Rep. Arlene "Kaka" J. Bag-ao: Rep. Arlene "Kaka" J. Bag-ao thanked the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) for data it had provided after an earlier committee hearing, then asked how it would close the irrigation gap. Citing NIA's figures, she said 70.25 percent, or 2.20 million hectares, were irrigated and 1.01 million hectares remained; average annual coverage growth over 15 years was 1.14 percent. For 2027, NIA's target was 5,362 hectares of new irrigation nationwide, which she rounded to about 5,000 in questioning. She asked for the timeline and strategy to reach full coverage. Sponsor Rep. Joseph S. Tan said the National Irrigation Master Plan identifies more than 9 million hectares of net potential irrigable land, while NIA's working baseline from the prior year was 3.2 million hectares, of which about 2.2 million were irrigated. He attributed the long path partly to conversion of farmland and said about 1 million hectares remained under that baseline. Bag-ao challenged treating land conversion as a reason to accept low targets and urged quicker irrigation of prime farmland. Tan suggested local small-water-impounding projects or man-made lagoons sized to the area served as complementary interventions.

Tan described the remaining development need as a long-term national funding challenge. He first gave a PHP 640 billion figure while discussing 600,000 hectares to be irrigated by 2030; he later calculated 600,000 hectares at about PHP 1.6 million per hectare, or PHP 960 billion. For 400,000 hectares beyond 2030 he later gave PHP 640 billion, together describing the two stages as PHP 1.6 trillion, or PHP 160 billion per year over ten years for new irrigation development alone. He said that estimate excluded restoration, rehabilitation, and repairs. In the earlier estimate he also referred to "another 400 something" for the 400,000 hectares without restating the unit; the transcript does not reconcile that phrase or the initial PHP 640 billion figure with his later calculations. These are broad development-cost estimates, not NIA's FY2027 request or NEP allocation.

During discussion of strategic coverage, Tan said the NEP covered about 19 percent of NIA's request. He described rough portions of the allocation: PHP 8-9 billion for restoration and more than PHP 20 billion for new irrigation generation, not a complete reconciliation of the NEP total. Bag-ao later cited PHP 21 billion for NIA new irrigation and a separate, unquantified Department of Agriculture allocation; these were differently rounded accounts of new-irrigation funding. She urged colleagues to increase funding for irrigation and make it a priority in any budget adjustment, given the remaining coverage gap and risk of agricultural-land conversion. Her appeal remained a call for prioritization.

Bag-ao asked whether NIA should lead or coordinate irrigation work assigned across agencies, including the Department of Agriculture (DA), to avoid divided targets and added costs. Tan said NIA and regional irrigation master plans involve DA and other agencies and are intended to prevent duplication; he noted that NIA, DA, and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) have connected responsibilities around land and hoped their roles would be clarified further, including work on national and communal irrigation systems. Bag-ao also asked NIA's view of establishing a Department of Rural Development to focus rural strategy, particularly in remote areas. Tan called the proposal a good suggestion, said the agency had heard it, and pointed to the Regional Irrigation Master Plan and noted the proposal. Bag-ao emphasized that such a department could affect institutional responsibilities, workforce division, and targets.

Bag-ao asked for a breakdown of the 2027 target showing how many of the roughly 5,000 hectares would be in Mindanao, a detailed master-plan work plan addressing jurisdictional conflicts and target allocation, and a serious review of NIA's budget to add irrigation targets for more land, especially prime agricultural land at risk of conversion. She also called for a strategic timeline and interventions, and said irrigation should be prioritized in any budget adjustment. Tan said NIA evaluates ongoing and proposed projects and that legislators could help guide attention to farms needing irrigation; he did not state Mindanao's share or a concrete timeline. Bag-ao requested data for stakeholder feedback and monitoring, then thanked someone who handed her a document, but the transcript does not identify its contents. In closing she reiterated the budget review and Mindanao coverage questions; Tan again said projects were being evaluated and that he would help guide irrigation to farms.

Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago: Representative Sarah Jane I. Elago cited National Irrigation Administration (NIA) briefing figures of 4.2 million hectares of potentially irrigable land and 2.2 million hectares developed, leaving 2 million hectares to develop. She asked why nearly 1 million potentially irrigable hectares remained outside the system and what the work would cost. NIA sponsor Representative Joseph S. Tan said the regional irrigation master plan placed net potential above 4 million hectares; he contrasted that with older data of 3.2 million hectares and said that, against 2.2 million developed, the remaining balance was about 1 million hectares. He attributed the gap to limited funding.

Tan estimated the conversion cost at PHP 1.6 million per hectare and said developing the remaining area would cost almost PHP 1 trillion. Spread across 10 years, he estimated PHP 160 billion per year for conversion alone, excluding restoration, improvements, and repairs. The cost estimates were not reconciled arithmetically in the exchange. Elago recalled Tan's 2024 estimate of PHP 200 billion per year for the country's irrigation needs and said current funding for NIA was below 25 percent of the required annual amount.

Asked how much of the existing service area was productive and actively cultivated, how much was underused for lack of water, and how much was covered by small irrigation projects, Tan said the earlier 2.2-million-hectare figure came from old potential-area data. He described housing, industrial, and other non-agricultural conversions as reducing the irrigable base, said nearly 50,000 hectares had been converted, and put the most reliable current irrigated area at nearly 1.5 million hectares.

Elago called for tighter land-use conversion rules to protect productive and prime agricultural land, livelihoods, and food and rice self-sufficiency. Tan said conversion clearances involve the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA), NIA, and local government units (LGUs), with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) also signing off on individual land-titling and site-development plans. He identified LGUs as especially important because they know local areas and planning, and urged the agencies to coordinate and enforce the law to prevent indiscriminate conversion.

Elago said the FY 2027 budget message named agriculture as a priority but cited cuts to irrigation support: a PHP 21 billion cut to subsidies for national and communal irrigation systems and a PHP 1.95 billion cut to small irrigation projects. She also said agriculture's contribution to GDP was at a historic low of 1.8 percent.

Tan said NIA's request covered developing irrigable land and restoration, improvements, and repairs. He said limited fiscal space required funds to be spread among agencies, leaving large, multi-year irrigation projects fragmented and delayed. Elago asked how much of NIA's original proposal was for communal systems and small irrigation projects. Tan estimated that, within the original proposal, about PHP 60 billion would cover restoration, improvements, and repairs, with the rest for new irrigation; he did not provide separate totals for the two project categories. Elago requested the breakdown of the original proposal and voiced support for increasing funding for communal systems and small irrigation projects.

Rep. Percival "Perci" Cendaña: Rep. Percival "Perci" Cendaña asked how much the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) proposed 2027 budget had increased over 2026. Sponsor Rep. Joseph S. Tan did not give a year-to-year increase. He described the NEP plus local-source funding as almost PHP 47 billion, a different basis from the principal NEP allocation. No matched 2026 total was supplied for the year-to-year question.

Cendaña asked about use of the 2026 budget. Tan reported a utilization rate of about 49 percent and a disbursement rate of 28 percent. He attributed the gap to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) release arriving around midyear, followed by procurement and post-evaluation that he estimated took about two months and three months overall. He said delays then pushed work into the rainy season, when weather and site conditions further constrained construction. He expected NIA to accelerate procurement and implementation to raise obligations, physical accomplishment and disbursement.

Cendaña asked how many irrigation projects were delayed. Tan said NIA had a count and would provide it, citing rain and muddy sites, fuel increases, scarce construction materials, equipment that could not be mobilized, and climate change among the causes. Cendaña asked for counts of completed projects and those completed but not operational. Tan said current-year procurement and mobilization were still underway and NIA's work could take a year; he agreed to send the lists of completed, delayed and non-operational projects.

Tan said some systems that once delivered water had become non-operational because climate change or storms affected supply, or seepage prevented water from reaching the end of a system. Repair, rehabilitation or restoration could return them to use. He said NIA's funds were divided between developing new irrigable land and making existing systems operational again, and that additional funding could support more repairs, rehabilitation and restoration. Cendaña said he expected substantial delays and planned to seek a computation of the income farmers lost because of administrative and governance gaps; he said he would make that a motion at the end of the interpellation. No delayed-project count, completion list or farmer-income estimate is provided in this exchange, and no motion disposition is recorded here.

Cendaña asked how NIA was preparing for El Niño and water-security risks, including drought-resistant irrigation planning, reservoir storage, canal rehabilitation, alternative systems and efficient water allocation. Tan described short-term measures: maintain irrigation facilities, consider crops with shorter growing periods, optimize water use, use impounding areas or man-made lagoons with solar pumps, build small reservoir irrigation facilities, and study groundwater augmentation and artificial aquifer recharge. He said recharge would need broader study. He also described watershed and water-management efforts, public information about conserving and collecting rainwater, and encouraging schools to install cisterns.

For longer-term work, Tan cited improvements to national and communal irrigation systems, dams and facilities, stronger water management, expanded water resources and renewable energy, watershed protection, ecosystem restoration, capacity building and stakeholder partnerships. He said most of NIA's funding was aligned with El Niño preparations. Asked for assurance that funds would be released on time, Tan said the full NAA had come out around midyear and NIA was accelerating procurement and disbursement to maximize resources and increase physical accomplishment; he gave no amount or quantified deadline.

Cendaña said NIA's potential irrigable-area assessment was approximately 4.65 million hectares, compared with a long-used 3.13 million hectares, and asked what the revised area meant for project costs. Tan said the larger figure included land with steeper slopes, citing 3-to-8-percent, 8-to-15-percent and 45-percent slopes, while describing 3 percent as the usual slope basis. He said additional funding would be important to develop more irrigable land but did not calculate a cost impact. Later, Tan referred to a 4.250 figure, a 4-million-plus potential, and a 3.2-million-hectare baseline based on a 3-percent slope; Cendaña characterized the difference as roughly one million. The exchange does not reconcile these varying area figures, so they remain attributed to the speakers.

Cendaña also asked how NIA coordinated irrigation planning with other agencies, including the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM), which he said was operating in silos with NIA. Tan said NIA and agencies including the Department of Agriculture (DA) and BSWM, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) were continuously studying irrigation issues. He did not describe a specific coordination mechanism. Cendaña reiterated the need for a whole-of-government response to El Niño and thanked the sponsor.

Rep. Elijah Rumbaoa San Fernando: Rep. Elijah Rumbaoa San Fernando said he supported irrigation projects but wanted accountability for the National Irrigation Administration's (NIA) mandate. He cited a PHP 46.36 billion requested NIA budget for FY2027 and asked whether NIA would publish searchable, project-level information, including contract identifiers, geotagged locations, contractors, budgets and implementation status. Sponsor Rep. Joseph S. Tan said NIA was building a transparency portal to make irrigation-project information accessible. When asked for a release date, Tan hoped to have it by year-end and said the latest might be the first quarter, given two or three months of procurement; he said NIA would try to finish it. San Fernando treated year-end or the first quarter as the commitment, but Tan framed the timing as a hope, not a firm dated commitment.

San Fernando also sought supporting records for each project, including BP Form 202, Program of Works, geotagged photos and coordinates, a Certificate of Implementability, and local certificates of no objection or support. Tan agreed such records would help protect public funds, avoid overlap and show where projects would be placed, and said NIA was doing this work. San Fernando said on the record that he expected those supporting documents and later said he would revisit the issue until NIA addressed project transparency. After the exchange, Tan added that NIA already had a website and would integrate the requested information; he gave no separate timeline for that integration.

San Fernando asked whether NIA's master plan and feasibility studies set irrigable-area estimates, annual targets and project locations, and referred to a 30 percent irrigation target. Tan said the 30 percent referred to remaining land to be developed. He cited a 3.2 million-hectare land area, with 70 percent developed and about 1 million hectares, or 30 percent, still being filled in as eligible land. He estimated that covering the 1 million hectares would cost more than PHP 1 trillion; he separately described about PHP 640 billion for 600,000 hectares and more than PHP 400 billion for another 400,000 by 2030, or around PHP 160 billion per year over ten years, solely for development. Tan's approximate totals and annual estimate were not reconciled arithmetically in the exchange.

San Fernando cited a 1.5 percent annual NIA accomplishment rate. Tan said the 1.5 percent was an increase shown over the ten years from 2015 and referred to 4 percent as the area irrigated; the exchange does not fully clarify the denominator for those percentages. Tan affirmed that the master plan and feasibility studies guided where and what projects would be built. He described a National Irrigation Master Plan and Regional Irrigation Master Plans to identify potential areas and set a pattern for yearly work. For smaller pump projects, he said irrigation could cost more where few hectares or steep slopes were involved, while a pump could serve remote locations with a 3 percent slope.

San Fernando challenged the specificity of the National Expenditure Program (NEP) line items despite NIA's stated use of master plans and feasibility studies. He cited PHP 100 million in the General Appropriations Bill for rehabilitation and protection of watershed management and asked where it would be spent. Tan said the amount covered 164 critical watersheds nationwide; he said NIA had a list and agreed to provide it, but described placement only generally by suitable area. San Fernando pressed why the locations were not included in the proposal.

He also cited a PHP 100 million TAGO RIS repair-of-irrigation-canal line and examples such as concrete pavement, a service road at Santa Maria RIS and intake improvement at Alip RIS. Tan agreed that projects should be enumerated. He said NIA's system contained more particular details, but barangay and municipality details had not appeared in the NEP and would be made specific before the FY2027 General Appropriations Act. San Fernando rejected a clerical-error explanation, said his random checks found many general or undetailed entries, and maintained that the answer did not resolve the lack of project detail. Tan's response was a promise to add specificity before enactment, while the member maintained his objection.

San Fernando asked what NIA's artificial intelligence (AI) monitoring for solar-pump irrigation projects covered, which indicators and data it used, how the data informed decisions, and whether the system would be fully disclosed. Tan first asked which system he meant. After San Fernando clarified that he meant AI monitoring generally, Tan said it monitored pump performance and could inform crop health and cropping calendars, including whether rain was expected to help farmers using solar pumps. San Fernando requested a document explaining the system so he could study it. No specific project list, indicators beyond those functions, data disclosure details or delivery date for the requested document was provided.

Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc: Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc compared the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) budget he cited as PHP 63.2 billion for FY 2026 with PHP 46.3 billion proposed for FY 2027, calling the reduction 26%. Sponsor Rep. Joseph S. Tan answered with the request-to-NEP comparison and described the difference as 19.9%. Tan's request-to-NEP comparison was distinct from Dagooc's prior-year budget comparison, although Tan called 19.9% the difference without explaining the calculation.

Asked which programs accounted for the reduction, Tan said restoration, improvements, and rehabilitation represented about 30 to 35% relative to new irrigation development. He could not itemize all affected projects in the time available but offered to provide the affected or unfunded locations. He described restoration as repairing or rebuilding canals and facilities damaged by calamities, typhoons, displacement, or erosion; the work varies by project and can overlap with repairs and improvements. Dagooc asked whether the program also covered previously reported problem areas. Tan said those areas were included, with work phased over time and restoration funds usable across National Irrigation Systems and Communal Irrigation Systems.

Dagooc asked whether NIA's FY 2027 proposal included a drought-resilience program in light of the forecast through the first quarter of 2027. Tan cited a Quick Response Fund of approximately PHP 400 million as his response to the drought-funding question. Dagooc described a solar-powered pump that still could not supply enough water for all the land, leading owners to stop planting, and asked whether NIA had a response to drought-related water shortages.

Tan said the location could be studied with NIA Administrator Guillen and recognized that pumping from a well may not be sustainable when drought depletes the water. As interim options, he suggested that farmers consider short-term high-value crops needing less water, or count the farmers and land served in a summer cycle to size a man-made water-storage lagoon that could be filled and pumped with solar power. These were suggestions for follow-up and alternatives, not a stated funded project commitment.

Dagooc cited a FY 2025 New National Irrigation System subprogram Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) of PHP 14.3 billion, of which PHP 4.1 billion had been obligated, a 28.6% utilization rate, and asked what prevented use of the funds. Tan said funds may remain unobligated while projects are procured or await award and notice to proceed. For large projects requiring foreign partners, he described repeated bidding problems and a lack of qualified contractors, which can delay obligations even after funds arrive. Dagooc agreed with the need for irrigation funding but stressed that unused funds were a concern.

On performance, Dagooc said the 2025 service-area target was 8,692 hectares against 3,162 hectares accomplished. He said the FY 2027 budget was lower while the target rose from 8,620 to 11,153, and asked Administrator Guillen to focus on reaching at least 10,000; he cited a pattern of achieving about half of targets. Dagooc expressly waived a further answer on that appeal. Dagooc then moved to terminate debate on NIA's FY 2027 proposed budget. The Majority joined the motion; after the Deputy Speaker heard no objection, the Chair declared interpellations terminated.

Department of Agriculture (DA): Bondoc pointed to 3.1% growth in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in 2025, reversing a 1.5% contraction in 2024. She said second-quarter agriculture and fisheries production value rose 2.9% year on year to PHP 452.22 billion at constant 2018 prices, with increases reported across crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries. She cited Rice for All, 20 Pesos Rice, Kadiwa, enhanced buffer stocking and support under the Rice Tariffication Law as efforts to keep food accessible while supporting producers.

She cautioned that higher production value does not itself secure physical production, and framed the challenge as keeping food affordable while farming and fishing remain profitable. Her answer was a value-chain approach rather than reliance on one commodity, agency or program. She said the FY2027 budget should protect gains and invest in productivity and lower costs, farm and fishery infrastructure, post-harvest loss reduction, cold chains and logistics, market access, irrigation, fisheries modernization, animal health and biosecurity, anti-smuggling work, climate resilience and disaster preparation. She added that DA responsibilities had not fallen with the smaller proposed budget and described the department's priorities as also including technology, adaptation and mitigation, preparedness, and stronger value chains.

Bondoc urged the House to measure appropriations by results: more productive land, resilient fishing families, schooling for farmers' and fishers' children, roads linking farms to markets, reduced crop losses, animal protection, enforcement against smugglers, disaster protection and access to safe, nutritious food at reasonable prices. She called for a forward-looking FY2027 investment in productivity, profitability, resilience and food security that addresses agricultural poverty and attracts younger people, with farmers and fishers as competitive participants and self-investors. She said the intended results were better harvests, higher incomes, lower losses, stronger rural communities and more profitable farmers, and urged support for the DA and its attached agencies and corporations.

Rep. Renee Louise M. Co: Before turning to the FY 2027 budget, Representative Renee Louise M. Co asked why promised reports had not reached the committee, including a Pax Silica impact investigation and a Bureau of Animal Industry anti-rabies report. After Co corrected the record that the anti-rabies report had arrived, she asked for the remaining Pax Silica report, which the Gabriela Women's Party representative had also requested. Agriculture sponsor Representative Anna York P. Bondoc, M.D. said the Department of National Defense had referred her inquiry to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and argued that food security required multiple agencies to work together. She said the report was comprehensive and that the deadline given to them was the end of September.

Co asked whether the report would cover farmers' land claims at the site and whether the Department of Agriculture (DA) would collaborate with the BCDA. Bondoc said the impact assessment also needed to address power and water demands and farmers within a wider radius; she said DA would be one of the lead agencies preparing a position paper and impact assessment with other agencies, including the Department of National Defense. She said DA would complete its portion by the end of September. Co requested a copy once available.

Co cited the Magna Carta for Agricultural Workers and Republic Act 8435 in discussing the government's duty to protect prime agricultural land. She said DA had promised geofencing guidelines to prevent solar infrastructure from encroaching on 3 million hectares of prime agricultural land and asked about their legal status. Bondoc said, after conferring with the secretary, geofencing would be completed by the end of December.

Asked why the guidelines would take until then, Bondoc said DA needed validated data. Some prime agricultural lands remained underwater after major flooding, preventing validation until conditions settled; she said validation would proceed as soon as possible afterward.

Co asked how DA would keep remaining farms within agricultural classification and whether farmers' insecure land tenure undermined agricultural productivity and food security. She cited the briefing's average farm-size figure as "3.59 to 2.03 hectares," whose relationship was unclear. Bondoc said preserving agricultural land was a major concern and described a two-part approach: make farming more productive and profitable through lower post-harvest losses, irrigation, fertilizer and pesticide support, and better farm-gate prices so farmers are less pressured to sell; and work with local government units on strict conversion rules and, if necessary, conversion moratoriums to stop developers from converting and damaging irrigated land.

Co linked low farm profitability and land insecurity with a shrinking and aging agricultural workforce. Citing prior-hearing figures, she said the sector had 10.44 million registered workers, about 20% of the national workforce but 7.9% of GDP, and an average age of 56, with low youth participation. She questioned why direct, non-collateral production subsidies were often limited or hard to access while loans were more available and could deepen farmers' debt. Bondoc answered that DA continued direct assistance, including seeds through rice support programs, fertilizer, diesel, and marketing support. She said credit could also help farmers and cooperatives mature into financially stable enterprises; DA trains and supports less mature cooperatives and irrigators' associations with mechanization, seeds, and fertilizer so they can eventually operate profitably and take loans. Co emphasized that farmers can be excluded from direct-subsidy lists, while loan defaults and repayment burdens may discourage farmers, young people, and heirs from staying in agriculture.

Asked how to draw people into farming when many do not own the land they cultivate and direct support is limited, Bondoc said profitability was decisive: low farm-gate prices and poor market access deter entrants, while irrigation could increase cropping from one to three seasons in her cited Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System example. She also argued that farming should be treated as honorable and a first-choice livelihood, including for people under 30. Co agreed with the goal but argued that farmers struggle to survive against imports and policies she said favor import access and lower-priced imports over domestic production; she called for changes to rice and other agricultural import dependence and genuine agrarian land reform, with enforcement capacity for DA and the Department of Agrarian Reform.

Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc: Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc asked why PHP 10 billion appropriated for the program was directed in a lump sum to Food Terminal Incorporated (FTI). Department of Agriculture (DA) sponsor Rep. Anna York P. Bondoc, M.D. said PHP 10 billion had been released directly to FTI for the program's expansion in 2026 and that FTI, the DA's implementation partner, pays for the rice. Bondoc reported that in the first half of 2026 the program reached 33.2% of its annual operational target and generated PHP 586.16 million in total revenue against funds allocated for procurement and distribution.

Dagooc asked how the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) supports DA programs and raised reported gaps in 2025 validation activities to update farmer and farm-parcel information in nine regions. Bondoc confirmed the registry is used to determine eligibility for seeds, fertilizer, and fuel assistance, but acknowledged that it undercounts farmers: she estimated about 40% are not captured. Registration depends heavily on local government units (LGUs) and municipal agricultural offices or workers, while DA has limited direct reach below the regional level because agricultural services were devolved. Dagooc said farmers, including members of his own family, had complained of missing assistance and asked what was being corrected. Bondoc agreed that unregistered farmers can be left out when aid is distributed; farmers may register at a municipality, but many do not travel there until after assistance has gone out. She said more field staff are needed to reach farmers.

Asked for concrete corrective steps, Bondoc said DA staff reach only the regions and identified a need for 23,000 extension workers down to barangay and purok levels. DA is conducting information campaigns and encouraging self-registration, while also saying it cannot rely on farmers to come to the agency and must reach them. Dagooc asked DA to use municipal and city agriculturists. Bondoc agreed that DA and LGUs should cooperate, and said online self-registration and an RSBSA LGU app were planned for the last quarter of 2026 so local officials could check their lists against the registry. She also cited focused registration drives and coordination with DA programs, attached agencies, and other government institutions. Dagooc requested an update to Congress through the Committee on Agriculture in the first quarter of 2027. Bondoc agreed to provide updates and inform him when the online registration and LGU app became available.

Dagooc questioned why DA routed the Rice for All funds through a corporate entity instead of managing them through its regular regulated channels, and asked whether DA accepted the arrangement and what safeguards protected the funds. Bondoc answered that the National Food Authority (NFA) has no mandate to sell rice, which is why implementation goes through FTI. She said DA had not encountered major problems with the arrangement so far; it was only in its first year, with eight months going well. She was open to discussing additional safeguards but did not identify specific safeguards in this exchange.

Rep. Iris Marie Demesa Montes: Representative Iris Marie Demesa Montes asked what FY 2027 budget strategies would reduce import dependence and produce measurable self-sufficiency targets. Department of Agriculture (DA) sponsor Representative Anna York P. Bondoc, M.D. said imports were intended to cover gaps in local production and described rice self-sufficiency as 70%. She then said stocks consisted of 12% local production and 62% imports; the exchange did not reconcile these figures or identify the stock-share denominator.

Bondoc pointed to the National Rice Program and Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF), which she linked to the Rice Tariffication Law, as vehicles for seeds, infrastructure, training, fertilizer, pesticides, marketing support, farm-to-market roads, and irrigation. She said DA wanted to reduce import needs, advocated higher import tariffs, and emphasized supporting local farmers so they could raise production. Citing volatility and conflict-related disruptions in world markets, she warned that imports might not be available even when the country had money to buy. The response described programs and policy positions but did not identify a specific FY 2027 line item or quantified self-sufficiency target.

Asked how much fertilizer and feed supply came from local production versus imports, Bondoc answered with DA fertilizer distribution figures: it supplied registered farmers and could reach 2 out of 10, while she said coverage remained short. She referred to a prior discussion of 4 bags of fertilizer per hectare, then later stated that the requirement was 10 bags per hectare and DA was giving 2 bags per farmer. The response gives assistance coverage and bag quantities, not a local-versus-import share.

Asked how DA would sustain productivity beyond short-term subsidies and inputs, Bondoc argued that DA funding should increase and that reducing support by 8% could reverse gains. She said support should help farmer organizations become trained, modernized, and financially mature, so assistance could later reach other groups; she also characterized the Rice Tariffication Law as a control on imports and said DA was pursuing amendments to support local farmers and reduce imports.

As evidence of progress, Bondoc said rice self-sufficiency was around 77% and 78% in 2023 and 2022, fell to 74% in 2024, and had returned to 78%. She described palay production as trending upward from 2017 to 2025, with a decline during the 2024 El Nino and a rise again in 2025. She also said the second quarter had reached its highest level in 40 years, while the 2026 DA budget was still being rolled out and gains were not yet fully visible. She used these trends to argue for maintaining and increasing budget support.

Montes asked for measures showing whether DA programs improve farmers' incomes, livelihoods, and jobs, including an independent third-party audit. Bondoc said she could assess progress through statistics and individual accounts. She cited falling poverty incidence among farmers and fisherfolk, attributing the official figures to the Philippine Statistics Authority, DA, and other agencies, and said she also used local visits and farmers' stories.

Bondoc cited a farmer who thanked her after receiving PHP 2,325 and said he now had two civil-engineer children; she used the anecdote to illustrate changes in farmers' household opportunities, without specifying the payment program or basis. She also reported that farmer income had risen from 10,710 to 14,620 and gave palay price figures of 11 last year, 9 as another reported figure, 15 reported to her that day, and 23 in the official material. The exchange does not state the unit or period for the income figures or a currency and quantity unit for the price figures. Bondoc did not identify an independent third-party audit; she cited agency statistics and personal accounts instead.

Rep. Presley C. De Jesus: Rep. Presley C. De Jesus said the Bureau of Soils and Water Management (BSWM) requested PHP 536.77 million for FY2027 under Tier 2 to expand national soil infrastructure. He asked how much the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) denied after the Department of Agriculture (DA) cut. Sponsor Rep. Anna York P. Bondoc, M.D., said about PHP 500 million was denied from BSWM, but did not reconcile that figure with the request or specify the remaining amount included in the proposal.

Bondoc compared BSWM figures of 2.4 in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and 1.8 for FY2027, and called this a 34% decrease. She did not state a currency or unit with those two figures in this exchange. De Jesus asked how many of the 11 provincial soil laboratories he said were targeted for 2027 had been defunded and which provinces were affected. Bondoc said the 2026 targets would proceed, but 16 soil laboratories could not be funded for 2027; she did not give a province list. The exchange does not reconcile the 11-lab target in the question with the 16 unfunded laboratories in the response.

De Jesus then asked whether underfunding the 2027 laboratories made BSWM's target of 30 functional soil-testing facilities by 2028 unattainable. Bondoc agreed that targets may need adjustment to match funded projects. Asked for a revised timeline, she gave no date: she said the 16 unfunded laboratories would be requested again for 2028, hoped fiscal space would be found, and said House and Senate budget negotiations were ongoing and the funding might still increase.

De Jesus asked about former employees of the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) and its early-retirement incentive program (ERIP), including whether the controversy followed the 2015 rationalization plan and whether benefits were released after employees separated on August 1, 2016. Bondoc said the Supreme Court had ruled for payment but that the Governance Commission for Government-Owned or Controlled Corporations (GCG) would determine which employees were entitled. She repeated that the Department of Agriculture (DA) respected the ruling and was waiting for GCG to identify eligible employees.

De Jesus asked whether all affected names had been sent to GCG. Bondoc confirmed that the list of concerned employees had been submitted and said the DA would follow up. De Jesus then cited the Court's ruling in Villanueva Jr. v. Sugar Regulatory Administration involving 75 former officials and employees. Bondoc said the petitioners became entitled by law and equity to benefits under the approved 2015 plan; she described the order as requiring SRA, GCG and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to determine, process and facilitate release of benefits due to eligible petitioners with due and deliberate dispatch. Asked about the post-separation period, she said the DA complied with Civil Service Commission requirements and would help employees; after De Jesus confirmed the August 2016 separation date, she said SRA would look into the matter and provide what was due. The exchange reports submission of names and a follow-up, not a completed eligibility determination or payment.

De Jesus asked Bondoc to confirm the FY2027 rice-production target of about 19 million metric tons and a projection that rice imports would exceed 5 million metric tons by the end of 2026; Bondoc confirmed both. Asked why imports remained high, she said importation was not DA policy, but unexpected El Nino, climate and disaster conditions, along with sharp fertilizer and diesel increases, had forced imports.

De Jesus asked whether production should shift and whether the Candaba Swamp could be used. Bondoc confirmed that the 4th District of Pampanga covers the swamp, which she said includes San Simon, San Luis, Apalit and Candaba in Pampanga and San Miguel, San Rafael and San Ildefonso in Bulacan. Her response identified the municipalities but did not set out a production-shift plan.

De Jesus cited Bureau of Customs data as of July 7, 2026: 24 criminal cases involving agricultural smuggling, 15 endorsed for prosecution under the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act. He asked how DA identifies cases and supports their development. Bondoc said DA works on intelligence about importers and missing documents with the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Customs, Department of Justice (DOJ) and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and said DA still lacks enforcement capacity: its Inspectorate and Enforcement Division (DAIE) has personnel on job orders and lacks vehicles.

Bondoc described DA inspection teams at ports in Manila, the Manila International Container Port, the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Batangas, Subic, Cebu, Davao, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro. She also cited DAIE teams for second inspections and condemnation activities, a Special Operations Group for high-risk operations, and an investigation branch monitoring banner programs, smuggling and economic sabotage. She said these activities continued despite limited budgets.

De Jesus put to Bondoc an estimate that strong El Nino could reduce production by about 750,000 metric tons. After clarifying that he was asking about the El Nino effect, Bondoc affirmed the figure. Asked what mitigation was planned, she cited cloud seeding, small shallow tube wells, smaller upland water-retention basins and climate-resilient crop varieties that could grow with less water. She also mentioned DA assistance and solar irrigation pumps in the exchange.

Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago: In her round with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago asked which items in DA's original submission to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), including fuel subsidies, financial assistance, and production subsidies, were not funded in the General Appropriations Bill. DA sponsor Rep. Anna York P. Bondoc, M.D. agreed that the DA budget had been reduced by 8 percent and said the department was requesting more assistance under its 11-point strategic plan to maintain production gains. She identified almost PHP 9 billion requested for expanded fertilizer assistance. She also cited farm-to-market bridge development, hybrid solar-powered ice plants, and other items she offered to share. Elago also requested a detailed report on fertilizer access, noting limited support for scaling locally developed fertilizers.

Elago opened by asking what DA programs addressed higher fuel costs, how much the department had spent in 2026, and what assistance would continue in 2027. Bondoc confirmed fuel and fertilizer assistance, then said the fuel support came from DBM savings, which she referred to as "602 to 603." She did not give a 2026 expenditure total in this exchange. In a follow-up, Elago said the PHP 2,000-plus fuel subsidy fell far short of the PHP 15,000 to PHP 30,000 a fishing boat needs for a day at sea, so some recipients used the aid for food instead of fuel. She cited the Department of Energy (DOE) certification that the US$80-per-barrel Dubai crude trigger had been reached and asked what action was planned under the emergency powers she said Congress had provided in Republic Act No. 12316. Bondoc said the DA supports in principle temporary suspension of value-added tax (VAT) and excise tax on fuel during exceptionally high prices, is adding fuel assistance to the Quick Response Fund (QRF), and is seeking more funds. Asked when a decision would come, she referred to a high-level Cabinet meeting the prior week about rising prices but gave no decision date. Elago urged prompt action and also called for consideration of removing excise taxes and the 12 percent VAT on basic needs including food, electricity, utilities, and fuel.

Elago cited the 2024 Commission on Audit (COA) Annual Audit Report observation that 58,784 farmer beneficiaries from selected regions had received Rice Farmers Financial Assistance, and that some recipients were not eligible. She asked how DA checked eligibility. Bondoc said the department reviews complaints and offered to share its list of resolved cases. She described distribution records with photographs of each farmer and said complaints about ineligible recipients could be raised at the distribution site. She said she was more concerned that eligible farmers were excluded because the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) undercounts them; in her account, she hears more complaints from farmers left out than about ineligible recipients. Bondoc invited on-the-spot complaints, said DA needs to work with local government units (LGUs) because it lacks extension workers and staff to reach every farmer, and said DA would prosecute organized groups that falsely represented themselves to obtain aid. Elago said the COA observations and registration barriers still required stronger safeguards, including for small fisherfolk who also have trouble registering.

Elago cited a reported estimate of 5 million metric tons of rice imports for 2026 and the rise in rice-import dependence from 9 percent in 1990 to 23 percent in 2022. She asked whether high imports would weaken self-sufficiency and local farmers' earnings, and what DA would do beyond relying on imports. Bondoc attributed the current year's imports to El Nino, recalled that imports had fallen the prior year after suspension to support farmgate prices, and said DA remained open to interventions that would give farmers competitive prices covering input costs. She expected imports to decline the next year and hoped higher production and value for farmers would reduce import dependence.

Elago said a floor price for palay was needed after prices had fallen to PHP 5-6 per kilogram the previous year. She said she had sought reports on Executive Order No. 100, which established a floor-price mechanism, and Executive Order No. 101 on full implementation of the Sagip Saka Act, but wanted a clearer floor-price policy to protect farmers while keeping rice affordable. Bondoc said current palay pricing was adequate and described three DA approaches: higher government buying prices with the National Food Authority (NFA), which she stated as 21 for wet palay and 27 for dry; additional rented storage and 65 new warehouses; and agreements with LGUs and farmer cooperatives to use or restore underused warehouses and processing facilities. She also cited low-cost credit, market support, guaranteed buying prices, and EO 100's trigger mechanism. Elago replied that the current palay price was PHP 12-15 per kilogram and farmers were asking for a floor of at least PHP 20 per kilogram to sustain their livelihoods while maintaining access to affordable rice. She said she would follow up on DA reports and called for stronger consultation with farmers' associations.

Elago asked for the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) allocations for 2024-2026, current rice-tariff collections, and whether the 2027 proposal included funds to cover a shortfall below the PHP 30 billion collection threshold that she said would otherwise come directly from the DA budget. She cited PHP 10 billion set aside for RCEF in 2025. Bondoc supplied tariff-collection figures, distinct from RCEF appropriation totals, of PHP 34 billion in 2024, PHP 13 billion in 2025, and PHP 4.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026. She then said there was a request for PHP 30 billion for RCEF in 2027. The answer gives the collection series and a 2027 request, but does not provide the requested 2024-2026 allocation series or specify how a 2027 tariff shortfall would be funded.

Elago said she favored moving policy away from full liberalization toward development of the local rice industry, and asked whether DA was still waiting for a version of proposed amendments from the Office of the President or economic managers. Bondoc confirmed that DA wanted to pursue several amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law. Elago requested the details and reiterated Gabriela Women's Party's call to strengthen domestic rice production, farmer and fisherfolk production, and food self-sufficiency. The sponsor did not detail the proposed amendments in this exchange.

Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula: Representative Dadah Kiram Ismula asked about the Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (4K) program for Indigenous peoples (IPs), including how many IP farmers and fisherfolk it had helped and its performance. Department of Agriculture (DA) sponsor Representative Anna York P. Bondoc, M.D. said that from 2022 through 2026 the program had served 256 ancestral domains and 400 IP organizations; for 2027, it planned to serve 137 domains and 196 organizations and train 2,367 Indigenous participants. Those are domain, organization, and training figures rather than an individual beneficiary count. Bondoc said participation and training were active and income rose as groups matured.

Asked for documented livelihood improvements and how they entered monitoring and evaluation, Bondoc cited buyers and market opportunities: Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC) had a 40-metric-ton coffee target involving Ati and other Mindanao tribes; SE International Manufacturing Corporation bought saba bananas from Regions 9, 10, 11, and 12; and she described ube (purple yam) activity in Regions 2, 3, 9, 10, and 11. She also cited the Mindanao Inclusive Agricultural Development Program, a World Bank loan and its first collaboration with IPs. These were reported examples; the answer did not describe a monitoring method.

Ismula asked for the 4K budget under the FY 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and the proposed FY 2027 budget. Bondoc gave PHP 250 million for FY 2026 GAA and PHP 128.29 million for FY 2027 NEP. She said all aspects would be reduced, but DA would try to continue assistance by integrating 4K participants into DA banner programs. Ismula voiced support for continuing and strengthening the program and asked that funding intended for Indigenous communities be restored as an appeal for continued support.

Ismula asked for an update on the weather-index parametric insurance piloted by DA and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) for registered municipal fisherfolk, which pays a pre-agreed amount when specified triggers such as high wind speeds or a typhoon signal occur. Bondoc said the pilot had covered 14,215 fisherfolk in Occidental Mindoro, Antique, Cebu, Surigao del Norte, and Negros Oriental, with a PHP 10 million budget for 2025-2026, and that an actuarial model was being developed.

Ismula said local government units in Negros Oriental and Surigao del Norte had endorsed continuation and asked whether phase two was in the FY 2027 budget. Bondoc confirmed inclusion; Ismula stated that phase two needed PHP 10 million for the target area, and Bondoc confirmed that amount.

Ismula relayed a colleague's question about Fisheries Administrative Order 266, which Ismula said the Supreme Court sitting en banc declared unconstitutional on January 21, 2026, invalidating mandatory Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) and Electronic Reporting System (ERS) requirements for commercial Philippine-flag vessels. Bondoc said BFAR still implements vessel monitoring where required by international fisheries obligations, but acknowledged that enforcement capacity had weakened. She listed alternative tools including monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) patrol boats, physical inspections, sea patrols, onboard observers, logbook audits, port controls, licensing, and intelligence gathering.

Asked how many unregistered commercial vessels BFAR had identified, Bondoc answered that it had recorded almost 2,500 registered vessels. When Ismula asked how many had been apprehended and about case status, Bondoc gave 158 for 2025 and 76 for 2026 without clarifying the count type or case outcomes.

Asked about VMS/ERS spending, Bondoc gave a total of PHP 3.440 billion from 2018 through 2026. She said that as of June 30, 2026, PHP 40 million remained for VMS and that the FY 2027 proposed budget included PHP 500 million for its operationalization and sustainability.

Ismula compared the DA total of PHP 186 billion in the FY 2026 GAA with PHP 171 billion in the FY 2027 NEP, describing a PHP 15 billion decrease; Ismula noted that the Department of Budget and Management often attributes departmental cuts to weak absorptive capacity. For the Production Support Services subprogram, Ismula cited PHP 35.6 billion in the FY 2026 GAA, PHP 29.8 billion in the FY 2027 NEP, and a PHP 5.8 billion cut. Asked for the original proposal to DBM for that subprogram, Bondoc said DA proposed PHP 42 billion for FY 2027, of which PHP 29.7 billion appeared in the NEP. The two speakers gave slightly different FY 2027 NEP amounts for the subprogram; the exchange does not reconcile them.

Asked about effects on production capacity and farmer income, Bondoc said reduced hybrid-seed coverage was nearly balanced by expanded inbred-seed support under RCEF and that DA had raised the hybrid-rice seedling rate. Because the overall National Rice Program budget ceiling had not increased, she said the added seed support needed to be matched with fertilizer funding and requested a larger fertilizer allocation. Ismula then asked about the effect of lower support on food prices, citing 5.2% food inflation in July 2026. Bondoc said rice was a major component of inflation, hoped lower budget support would not increase inflation, and urged colleagues to support and, if possible, increase DA funding. Ismula closed by urging congressional support for farmers, fisherfolk, and food producers and arguing that reducing support would threaten producer livelihoods and raise food prices.

Rep. Antonio L. Tinio: Rep. Antonio L. Tinio asked about fertilizer availability and prices ahead of the next planting season. Sponsor Rep. Anna York P. Bondoc, M.D., said fertilizer imports continued at higher prices and that the Department of Agriculture (DA) was seeking more assistance for farmers. Asked the price of a bag and the increase, she gave a range of 2.3 to 2.6 per bag; her answer did not state a currency or denomination.

Bondoc identified PHP 2.2 billion as 2026 additional fertilizer funding, describing it in different answers as for foliar and biofertilizer or organic fertilizers. When Tinio asked if it was for chemical or inorganic fertilizer, she first agreed; when he asked specifically about biofertilizers, she said the PHP 2.2 billion was for organic fertilizers. Asked its funding source, she said it came from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) through Uplift; she agreed with Tinio's characterization of it as an augmentation. She also said no amount had originally been appropriated for biofertilizers in 2026. In a later utilization answer she said the funding had just been released and was part of the 2026 GAE, but also said it was not part of the PHP 2.2 billion, leaving that relationship unresolved.

For FY2027, Bondoc said the RCEF fund included PHP 1.8 billion for biofertilizers. When asked for 2025 procurement and utilization information, she later gave a 2025 amount of PHP 1.8 billion; the exchange did not establish a release or utilization status for that amount.

Tinio asked what standards DA would use to select biofertilizer suppliers, citing a list of 61 registered products from the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA). Bondoc first named Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and a field-rice derby; after Tinio raised FPA registration, she confirmed products must be FPA-registered, field-tested and supported by a score sheet, and confirmed PhilRice benchmarking. She described head-to-head field tests against standards and spot inspections, and agreed that field-rice benchmarking remained a requirement.

Because 2026 procurement was not yet underway, Tinio requested 2025 supplier and procurement data, including whether products met FPA registration or PhilRice benchmarking, citing the scale of spending and the fertilizer-funds scam history as reasons for scrutiny. Bondoc agreed to provide the complete report. On the 2026 augmentation, she said the SARO had been issued only a few weeks earlier and bidding was still scheduled; Tinio confirmed there had been no procurement yet. The exchange records the commitment and pending bidding, not an awarded contract.

Tinio turned to the proposed FY2027 farm-to-market road program, stating a PHP 16 billion proposal across 703 projects, most at PHP 30 million or less. He highlighted higher-cost projects, including a PHP 500 million single project and a PHP 250 million project; in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), he said the total was PHP 1.54 billion, of which PHP 1.03 billion covered eight projects in Benguet. He also pointed to PHP 2.5 billion for Sultan Kudarat in 2026.

Bondoc said CAR allocations followed specific roadmaps and were intended to front-load a road network for high-value crops, logistics and later production support; smaller sums could build only short road segments and leave the network inadequate. Tinio asked whether a PHP 500 million project could realistically be implemented in one fiscal year. Referring to documents DA-CAR supplied at the budget briefing, he said the project covered 33 kilometers but only about 9 kilometers had been validated; he later cited the document as showing 8-point-something of 33 kilometers. Bondoc said the project was fully validated. Tinio disagreed, relying on the DA-CAR document.

Bondoc said road delivery depended on clear right-of-way and land-tenure issues, and that delays also came from late SARO releases. She said she would obtain and share validation details. Tinio said his concern was whether funds would actually be used rather than tied up in a project that might be only partly implemented; the validation disagreement was not resolved in this exchange.

Tinio cited DA's FMR Watch transparency portal for 2021-2026: 6,428 projects and PHP 109.5 billion in appropriated funds, with 3,235 projects marked complete. He also cited a 44% completion rate and 2,550 projects not yet started, including 11 from 2021, 147 from 2023, 320 from 2024 and 279 from 2025; he said most or all 2026 projects had not started. The portal figures were Tinio's presentation of available data, and the reported completion count and percentage were not reconciled in the exchange.

Asked whether DA confirmed the portal data, Bondoc first said DA would check the portal and asked to focus on 2025. She later clarified that the portal data came from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which she agreed was the implementing agency, and said DA was validating it against its own data and could not speak for DPWH's figures. Tinio replied that the portal remained the available record and reiterated the implementation delays shown there.

On FY2025 farm-to-market roads, Bondoc said PHP 23 billion was allocated, PHP 13 billion released, and 75% implemented as of August. She said PHP 10.7 billion had been under For Later Release (FLR) and was released the previous Friday. She later described 46% of the budget as FLR; Tinio summarized PHP 10.7 billion out of PHP 23 billion as about 40%.

For 2026, Tinio cited 1,699 FMR projects with PHP 34.2 billion in appropriations and asked what share was FLR. Bondoc said DBM had released a PHP 4.7 billion SARO in August and that an omnibus SARO request for PHP 18 billion, submitted in June, was still awaiting release. She said DA did not know whether the pending amount would be FLR, while the Secretary had been assured there would be no FLRs that year; Tinio interjected that there would be. The exchange did not produce an exact 2026 FLR percentage.

Asked why releases and bidding were delayed, Bondoc said DA was not responsible for FLR decisions and suggested asking the responsible department. Tinio argued that DBM would attribute delays to congressional amendments or insertions requiring complete documents and a validation process that could consume most of the fiscal year and postpone SARO release until near year-end. He said similar FLR delays affected DPWH capital-outlay programs, that projects could take at least two years to complete, and that late implementation delayed services and tied up funds that might be used more urgently elsewhere. He distinguished this service-delivery concern from a separate corruption question.

Termination of deliberations: After the Majority Leader moved to recognize him, Representative Elijah Rumbaoa San Fernando said no minority member remained to interpellate on the FY 2027 Department of Agriculture (DA) budget and moved to terminate sponsorship and debate on the DA budget and its attached agencies. Eduardo R. Rama Jr. said the majority joined the motion. Presiding Deputy Speaker Yevgeny Vincente B. Emano put the joint motion to the House, heard no objection, and declared the DA budget interpellations terminated. In a later clarification, Emano amended the ruling to include the DA's attached agencies and corporations; again hearing no objection, he reiterated that deliberations were terminated.

DILG opening budget presentation: Sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella urged support for DILG's additional request for 1,095 emergency response vehicles, reinstatement of the Seal of Good Local Governance Initiative, and peace-and-order measures including stronger Lupong Tagapamayapa.

For the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM), he sought additional support for independence and police oversight, securing and modernizing sensitive records, and a special provision to use self-generated income for repairs, maintenance, equipment, facilities, and personnel benefits. For the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), he sought 2,000 additional fire officers and a special provision permitting use of at least 80 percent of annual fee collections, which he described as PHP 4.5 billion, for capability gaps. He cited 74 search-and-rescue trucks and 82 ambulances. The fee collections were described as available for BFP use; the special provision is a revenue-use request, not another NEP amount.

For the Philippine National Police (PNP), he sought additional support for a regional headquarters in the Negros Island Region, completion of the Region 1 regional-office facility, stronger tourist-police units, 23 police stations and buildings, and a PNP Counterterrorism Center. The presentation urged support for these items; it records no vote or disposition.

Fuentebella framed the budget as funding government protection through barangay, city, municipal, provincial, and national services. He cited a 96.33 percent DILG emergency-response efficiency rate and five-to-seven-minute response times, along with 50,441 evacuation centers and more than 126,000 uniformed personnel deployed for disaster response. He said DILG had strengthened school-security protocols and safer school zones, working with the Department of Education and police-community partnerships.

He said NAPOLCOM's Zero Case Backlog Initiative resolved 2,404 administrative cases involving 4,084 PNP personnel, clearing cases accumulated over 25 years. He reported BFP fire incidents down 27.23 percent, operation of a unified 911 system, and activated fire stations and trucks in 92 percent of municipalities.

For the PNP, he reported declines in focused crimes (12.4 percent), indexed and non-indexed crimes (2.37 percent), and cybercrime cases (30 percent), with crime-clearance efficiency at 98 percent and solution efficiency at 90 percent. Over the past year, the PNP conducted 55,843 operations, arrested 67,223 people, and seized illegal drugs reported as worth approximately 25.3 billion. He also said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology had reduced jail congestion and intensified inspections that confiscated illicit cash, drugs, electronic devices, and weapons.

Fuentebella said DILG continued to support and monitor more than 3,000 local-government support-fund projects benefiting about 34 million households. It trained barangay, Sangguniang Kabataan, and newly elected officials and advanced digitalization, with more than 1,202 local-government units using automated systems. Through the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, 91.68 percent of barangays had child-development centers. He credited the Philippine Commission on Women with the country's gender-parity standing in Asia, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos with supporting safe Hajj pilgrimages, and the Local Government Academy and Philippine Public Safety College with training local and uniformed officials. He closed by linking local capability, accountable institutions, and community safety.

Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula: Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula said she would not question the DILG sponsor, but used her time to support increased budgets for the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) and the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW). Citing NCMF's mandate under Republic Act No. 9997, she described its work to preserve and develop Muslim Filipinos' culture, traditions, institutions, and well-being, including administering the annual Hajj to Mecca. She said funding was insufficient, particularly for the medical team caring for pilgrims, and identified madrasa rehabilitation and halal programs as essential needs.

For PCW, she cited its work on gender-responsive policies, advocacy, technical assistance, and monitoring gender mainstreaming in the bureaucracy. She also referred to a long-standing funding shortfall for regional offices without assigning that concern to one agency. Ismula expressed full support for budget increases for both agencies and said she believed their budgets would receive favorable consideration under the sponsor's guidance. She linked her support to honest spending and fulfillment of the agencies' mandates. No amount or adopted increase was recorded.

Rep. Presley C. De Jesus: In his DILG round, Rep. Presley C. De Jesus described the department's proposed expenditure program as rising from PHP 310 billion in 2026 to PHP 332 billion in 2027. He said personal services accounted for PHP 21.50 billion, or about 97.6 percent of the net increase, while capital outlays declined by about PHP 1.97 billion. The round does not state an original DBM request or a prior-year GAA comparison.

DILG sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella attributed the increases to personal services. On capital outlays, he asked De Jesus to narrow the question across DILG and its attached agencies, then said many fire and police stations had been built but acknowledged fire stations were still insufficient. De Jesus referred to capital outlays previously being around PHP 21 billion, but qualified that recollection as approximate and did not receive a more specific account of the reduction's causes or procurement effect.

Fuentebella first itemized PHP 4.3 billion for retirement gratuity, PHP 6.4 billion for terminal leave, and PHP 2.091 billion to create 6,000 positions. When De Jesus followed up on compensation and benefits versus new personnel, Fuentebella repeated the PHP 4.3 billion and PHP 6.4 billion figures but put new positions at PHP 2.9 billion. The round leaves the two recruitment-cost figures unreconciled; it does not attribute a separate amount to compensation adjustments.

De Jesus asked how lower capital outlays would affect equipment and construction. Fuentebella said the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) had built many fire stations but still needed more, and asked colleagues to help secure funding. He said the BFP collected PHP 4.5 billion a year, while the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved PHP 1 billion per year, and sought 80 percent of that year's collections by 2027 to address shortages in fire trucks and stations. He linked the request to a department effort to clean up the BFP, move examinations online and study government-to-government procurement with South Korea for greater transparency and accountability. No additional NEP appropriation or formal plenary motion was recorded in this exchange.

De Jesus said the proposed Local Government Empowerment Program allocation was PHP 6.494 billion and its 2025 disbursement rate was 69 percent. Fuentebella identified late release of additional funds through SARO, an election ban that allowed only ongoing projects to continue, and delays in obtaining required national-agency certificates. He also cited newly elected local officials needing training. Fuentebella asked whether the project had happened, and De Jesus answered yes.

On the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council, De Jesus compared a proposed expenditure program of PHP 357 million with PHP 124.2 million, an approximately 65 percent reduction, and asked about effects on local services. Fuentebella cited a June 2026 obligation rate of 45.56 percent, then a second June 2026 rate of 94.58 percent without clearly naming its measure; he compared these with a 2025 obligation rate of 92.09 percent and a 2025 disbursement rate of 72.7 percent. He said the new law removed establishment of NCDCs and thus infrastructure, while the Council's continuing work focused on quality care and education and coordination with local governments on integrated health and nutrition. He believed local governments, barangays or Congress could help construct facilities. He also said the mandate applied in remote areas and offered to accompany the member to places not being reached.

De Jesus asked what DILG had identified as needing improvement after reported school shootings and concerns about minors' firearm access, warning reports and coordination among schools, local governments and law enforcement. Fuentebella declined to disclose case specifics during an ongoing investigation. He said DILG had coordinated with the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and cited DILG Memorandum Circular 2026.037 on safer school zones beyond school gates, including surrounding roads, sidewalks, crossings, waiting and transport areas. Barangays were to lead local implementation, and police were training barangay tanods. He described online sites as a concern and called for stronger platform regulation; De Jesus added that his earlier DICT budget deferment also concerned the department's performance, not only Meta.

Fuentebella said police intelligence reports had helped save more than 40 children, but he could not disclose the reports' source. On reporting, he pointed to 911 and estimated police could arrive in five to seven minutes. He said prevention needed community participation by parents, PTAs, teachers, barangay and local-government officials, and called for police and DILG capability, including a counterterrorism building he said was still being sought. He said the issue required an interagency composite team and that police could not address it alone.

Rep. Roberto Nazal: Rep. Roberto Nazal asked how many local government units (LGUs) provide the PHP 1,000 monthly subsidy for qualified solo parents and how many parents receive it, citing complaints that the subsidy and solo-parent booklet are not reaching beneficiaries. DILG sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella first clarified that implementation involves a joint circular with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, then agreed DILG should monitor LGU implementation. He did not provide the requested counts and asked to submit the data; Nazal accepted submission.

Nazal also followed up on DILG's earlier promise to study including compliance with the Solo Parents' Welfare Act in the Seal of Good Local Governance. Fuentebella said the work had moved to implementation in a technical working group, expected new regulations to be released within about a month, and placed implementation in January of the following year. Nazal requested quarterly LGU-compliance status reports to help follow up noncompliant LGUs; Fuentebella noted the request.

Nazal asked why the 9-1-1 Emergency Services Program's 2025 obligation rate was 2.45%, what had not been implemented and what had changed. Fuentebella attributed the problem to vehicles and said they had been updated. Asked to distinguish appropriations, releases, obligations and disbursements for 2025 and 2026, Fuentebella first said the 2025 amount was PHP 1 billion, then, after a request to clarify 2026, said disbursement was around PHP 1.4 billion for 2025 and referred to both 2025 and 2026. The answers do not reconcile those figures or their fiscal-year and spending-status scope.

Nazal requested a breakdown across the technology platform, private service providers, command centers, telecommunications, ambulances and other vehicles, personnel, and training. Fuentebella asked for time to submit it, and Nazal asked that it be provided that day. This is program spending, not DILG's overall NEP allocation or original agency request.

Nazal asked for genuine emergencies resulting in dispatch, arrival-time response, successful assistance or stabilization, resolved emergencies and lives saved. Fuentebella gave an average response time of five to seven minutes, said the outcome data could be pulled and submitted to Nazal, and cited National Call Center figures for September 11, 2025 through July 31, 2026: 14,461,871 incoming calls, 13,931,388 handled calls, 96.33% handling efficiency, 513,483 abandoned calls and 17,469 documented prank calls, with approximately 53,000 incoming calls per day. When Nazal asked how many actual emergency lives were saved, Fuentebella repeated the handled-call figures rather than giving an emergency-outcome count.

Nazal proposed adding measurable emergency outcomes as a 9-1-1 performance indicator. Fuentebella agreed to include the suggestion. The call totals and handling rate describe call-center activity; the requested emergency outcomes remained for follow-up.

Nazal argued that timely arrival alone is not enough if an ambulance lacks someone trained to begin lifesaving care. He asked whether the 9-1-1 budget could train LGU personnel through existing Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) programs, and proposed a national standard requiring a trained, certified paramedic on each LGU or 9-1-1 ambulance, with a reasonable transition period. Fuentebella said DILG was already linking training, cited 5,000 nurses under BFP and said they were qualified, and agreed that DILG would work with TESDA and the Department of Health on a standard; he also said DILG was working on it. He initially noted that a binding requirement might need legislation because DILG supervises LGUs.

Asked whether the 2027 9-1-1 budget could start the training or what authority Congress should provide, Fuentebella pointed to BFP personnel's NC2 training and said the work should continue despite funding limits, but did not directly answer the budget or authority question. He described coordination across DILG, BFP and LGUs, while Nazal reiterated the potential for pre-hospital assessment and stabilization. Fuentebella said BFP personnel extend training to local responders and agreed to work toward the standard and transition.

Nazal asked whether eligible persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) were registered with PhilHealth and whether Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) facilities linked them to Yakap-accredited providers and covered medicines through Yakap Gamot. Fuentebella said not all facilities were connected but implementation had begun; he offered to provide the facility count that day. On coordination with PhilHealth, he said BJMP was already using the program for covered medicines, while Nazal asked BJMP to improve registration and qualification and Fuentebella said the work was ongoing. The requested facility count was not supplied in this exchange.

Nazal cited a House budget-research review of Commission on Audit (COA) findings as of end-2025: 100 municipalities had no activated fire station, 64 had neither a fire station nor a fire truck, and BFP shortages included 20,854 fire coats, 22,019 gloves and 36,888 fireman's hoods. He asked for a national master plan identifying each LGU or equipment gap, needs and cost, funding source including earmarked revenue, and the year each deficiency would be closed; he also asked for a scientific basis for station and truck numbers and replacement timing. Fuentebella agreed BFP faced major challenges and said its own current counts were 61 missing fire stations and 106 fire trucks. He said planning was becoming data-driven, with 40-year-old trucks prioritized; the stated lifespan was up to 20 years. These were distinct figures and descriptions from the member's cited review and the sponsor's response.

Fuentebella said BFP's needs were not only addressed through the GAA and that the department was seeking release of 80% of fees earmarked for BFP. He described data-based planning, government-to-government fire-truck procurement and prioritizing equipment to local need, and said the agency needed release of the funds. Nazal supported release of earmarked funds, including for BFP, and praised the Eurofire government-to-government procurement.

Fuentebella said BFP lacked 40,000 personnel and that DBM was providing 2,000 personnel per year, which he said would take 20 years to fill the gap. He said they were seeking an additional 2,000 personnel per year for ten years, citing fire suppression, rescue and 9-1-1 duties as well as the need to improve service. Nazal then asked BFP to submit a national master plan with annual targets to Congress. Fuentebella agreed and proposed submission by Monday of the following week. This was a request and commitment in the debate, not a recorded appropriation motion or approval.

Rep. Iris Marie Demesa Montes: Rep. Iris Marie Demesa Montes asked the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) for the total estimated 5% Gender and Development (GAD) budget across government entities for FY2027. Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella said the data, including for local government units (LGUs), was not then available and promised to obtain it. After Montes narrowed the request to national agencies, Fuentebella cited PHP 1 trillion for 2025, a separate year from the requested FY2027 estimate; the exchange clarified that LGUs were outside that figure. The requested FY2027 total was not supplied.

Montes then asked for compliance rates on GAD plans, budgets, and accomplishment reports, separated between LGUs and national entities. Fuentebella said LGU information would need to be obtained from DILG and municipalities and that PCW lacked capacity to monitor LGUs. For national agencies, government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCCs), and state universities and colleges (SUCs), he gave a 77% compliance rate. Asked which agencies were noncompliant, he said they could be named and had been reported to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), but he did not have the record then; he offered to submit the names by about 6:30 that day. The record here shows the offer, not delivery.

Montes described implementation gaps under the Magna Carta of Women and recalled seeking an investigation into GAD-budget utilization in a privileged speech the previous year. She asked what amendments PCW proposed to move from a spending target to a legally enforceable, outcome-based GAD framework. Fuentebella said PCW had 18 bills and offered to submit them; he did not identify enactment or disposition.

Montes also asked whether Congress should add a General Appropriations Act (GAA) provision to prevent paper compliance and require proper use of GAD funds. Fuentebella cited existing administrative penalties and the Commission on Audit (COA) monitoring GAD expenditures. Asked about a mandatory joint COA-PCW audit and performance reviews before GAD funds were used, he said that audit fell outside the PCW mandate, which rests with COA, though PCW could help supervise. Montes framed her questions as seeking a forward-looking policy response under current law, and Fuentebella expressed support for her aims. No special provision or audit framework was adopted in this exchange.

Rep. Edgar R. Erice: Rep. Edgar R. Erice cited Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) allocations of PHP 27 billion in 2025 and PHP 57 billion in 2026, with a proposed PHP 58 billion for 2027. He recalled an earlier LGSF of about PHP 410 million in 2014, which he said had been challenged in the Supreme Court; he described the Court's rationale as resting on a singular implementation and definite recipients. Erice said DILG subsequently made the fund a line item and set parameters around necessity and prioritization. DILG sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella said criteria still applied through the portal, while the eligible uses had broadened.

Erice asked what DILG did with its general-supervision role as LGSF grew. Fuentebella said DILG monitored and evaluated projects, provided technical assistance and coordination, and supervised implementation after a grant; DBM released the funds. He said that when DILG found project errors, it informed the LGU and referred matters to the Commission on Audit (COA). At the time of the exchange, he said DILG had found no such implementation error, while acknowledging that it did not have complete LGSF allocation data.

Erice asked whether DILG could reject applications that were not priorities in a local development plan, were not project-ready, duplicated other funding, or came from LGUs with weak absorptive capacity or pending audit findings. Fuentebella said DILG had no authority to approve or disapprove applications. He described a coordination process involving DBM, DILG, and COA, with criteria including consistency with the local development plan and checks against duplicate projects or funding. Applications went through the DBM portal; DBM reviewed and selected qualified LGUs and released funds directly. Fuentebella said all LGUs were eligible to apply and that a scorecard existed, but referred questions on its operation to DBM. He also said unfinished projects could affect later releases under DBM guidelines.

Erice argued that the LGSF's scale made equitable allocation and oversight important. He compared Quezon City, which he said had more than PHP 40 billion in combined Internal Revenue Allotment, national-government, and local revenues and received almost PHP 1 billion from LGSF in 2026, with smaller or poorer localities for which he cited LGSF examples of PHP 10 million, PHP 13 million, and PHP 19 million. He asked whether those distributions were equitable. Fuentebella agreed that fairness mattered but said he needed data; he could not assess equity and said DILG had no complete data on LGSF amounts distributed to municipalities. He said all LGUs received LGSF in 2026 and acknowledged the policy could improve. Erice urged DILG to develop a stronger policy role; Fuentebella said the issue was ongoing discussion among government bodies and Congress could use its oversight function.

In response to Erice's call for corruption detection and enforcement, Fuentebella cited about 684 additional technical-support staff hired in 2026, the public Subaybayan portal for project progress, third-party project monitoring, and a requirement that projects be in an LGU comprehensive development plan before application through the DBM portal. He said DILG field officers, engineers, and project-evaluation staff monitored implementation. Erice's proposal for a stronger DILG oversight policy remained a question and was not adopted in this exchange.

Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc: Rep. Sergio C. Dagooc asked whether the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) knew of local government units (LGUs) continuing to assess or collect taxes on electric cooperatives under Joint Memorandum Circular 2024-12-001, issued by the Department of Finance (DOF) and Department of Energy (DOE). He said some LGUs continued assessing the taxes despite the circular and that electric cooperatives passed them on to consumers. DILG sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella pointed to DILG Memorandum Circular 2025-041. He said the circular was a memorandum, but DILG could investigate identified errors or noncompliance; for faster action, Dagooc could sue the LGU.

Dagooc said he had identified about four LGUs at an earlier budget briefing and asked whether DILG officers in each LGU could be authorized to address noncompliance. Fuentebella said DILG would obtain data from LGUs and identify them, then replied that the LGU had committed to Dagooc's suggestion. The response records a commitment, but does not name the LGUs or specify the field officers' authority.

Dagooc said that after deliberation only nontechnical system losses could be removed, while technical losses would remain but could be reduced. He linked the issue to Section 37F and Section 10 of Republic Act 7832, the Anti-Electricity Pilferage Act, and characterized Section 10 as vague. He argued that enforcement should involve police rather than barangay officials and asked DILG to help develop a proposal to amend the law.

Fuentebella said DILG had issued a measure in 2006 and would reissue it to help with anti-pilferage enforcement. On amendments focused on enforcement, he said the matter would be studied further and that statutory amendments were for Congress and the Senate. Dagooc reiterated a proposed amendment addressing removal of nontechnical system loss, and Fuentebella agreed. The exchange records agreement and a reissue/study commitment, not a formal motion or enacted amendment.

Rep. Percival "Perci" Cendaña: Cendaña asked for a DILG update after hearing of Harry Roque's asylum request denial. DILG sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella said the matter was legal, described the ordinary process as six months, and said that period had passed without approval or disapproval; he also said the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime had submitted the documents Interpol requested for a red notice. Asked for a timeline for Roque's return, the transcript attributes the statement "We will have to follow up with the Interpol" to Cendaña. No return date or further disposition was given.

Cendaña said Unified 9-1-1 had gone live in the National Capital Region, BARMM, Region I and Region VII, while PNP had reported that reliability depended on mobile signal strength. He asked whether calls in weak-signal areas would receive no response and whether DILG planned redundancy or offline service. Fuentebella said DILG was coordinating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), including its last-mile effort, to avoid duplication; he cited Starlink distribution to schools and said government intervention could fill gaps, particularly in coastal areas where telecommunications companies had not entered. Asked which budget would fund last-mile investment, he said it was principally for private telecommunications companies, with government intervening where needed.

Cendaña raised a reported August delay in emergency response to a senior citizen in Taguig, who later died. Fuentebella asked for specifics so he could answer and act appropriately; Cendaña said he would forward the incident details. On the broader dispatch-to-medical-response coordination question, Fuentebella said 9-1-1 calls were recorded and the data could show what happened in the Taguig case once details were provided. The unit records no case-specific follow-up result.

Asked how many calls 9-1-1 had received and handled, Fuentebella cited 14,461,871 incoming calls, 13,931,388 handled calls, 96.33% handling efficiency, 530,483 abandoned calls, 17,469 documented prank calls and about 53,000 incoming calls per day. He said the recorded calls would allow DILG to establish what happened in the Taguig case once Cendaña supplied the specific details. These call-handling counts were not presented as counts of emergencies resolved, patients stabilized or lives saved.

Asked what FY2027 funding was allocated for emergency-response vehicles and 9-1-1 command-center infrastructure, Fuentebella said PHP 224 million. Cendaña said this seemed small for the country and asked how many more regions the current General Appropriations Bill allocation could cover. Fuentebella said ten satellite command centers served all regions and were language-sensitive. Asked what further amount was needed for robust systems, he first said PHP 372 million was needed, then stated PHP 373 million. He described PHP 373 million as additional FY2027 operating costs for 9-1-1, and clarified that the ambulance request was separate. Cendaña offered support for the additional funds and cited his filed House Bill 8417 to institutionalize an emergency medical services system. The exchange does not reconcile PHP 372 million with PHP 373 million or state the amount of the separate ambulance request.

Cendaña described existing requirements for Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) councils to post their youth development plans, annual investment programs, resolutions and receipts-and-expenditures statements on the physical SK Full Disclosure Policy Board; online posting was encouraged but not mandatory. Asked what share of barangays posted SK budgets, youth plans or quarterly financial statements online, Fuentebella said he had no figure and would look into it. Cendaña asked whether DILG and the National Youth Commission could make social-media posting mandatory. Fuentebella agreed and committed to do so; Cendaña urged prompt implementation for transparency and accountability.

Cendaña raised a school shooting in which three children died and eight were injured, noting that the firearm was government-issued and that an initial police report suggested children may have been influenced by online true-crime communities. Fuentebella said legislation should strengthen firearm safekeeping requirements, including for licensed holders, and described the issue as also involving social media and broader social conditions.

Cendaña asked whether DILG and PNP would conduct a comprehensive safety audit and physical accounting of government-issued firearms. Fuentebella said PNP was already doing this. Asked about reviewing rules for possession, authorization, firearm condition and safekeeping, he agreed, then broadened his response from government-issued weapons to all firearms. Cendaña said he planned a resolution urging a safety audit of government firearms assigned to personnel and asked that DILG and PNP prioritize the concern. He also cited filed House Bill 158 on child safety against gun violence.

Cendaña asked whether DILG and PNP, with the Department of Education (DepEd), would study transparent school bags. Fuentebella said this was a DepEd policy and that DILG was working with DepEd, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and DICT. Cendaña noted the possible added cost for students and said a transparent bag could make it harder to conceal a firearm or knife; he cited House Bill 158 and his planned resolution on firearms audits.

In closing, Fuentebella listed police assistance during school opening and closing, public-safety operations and police visibility under Oplan Balik Eskwela for School Year 2026-2027, and training barangay tanods with LGU coordination to extend community protection. Cendaña called for a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach to safety in schools and communities.

Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago: Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago raised the Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCD Council)'s reported 65 percent budget cut. She identified a PHP 20 million reduction in a program supporting public and private child development centers, and a PHP 182 million reduction for accrediting ECCD service providers, from PHP 207 million to about PHP 24 million.

DILG sponsor Rep. Arnie B. Fuentebella said the Council had requested PHP 1 billion; the FY2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) included PHP 124 million, compared with PHP 357 million in the FY2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). He urged colleagues to increase funding and also cited a PHP 901,716,000 request. The exchange does not establish whether that request is the same as, a component of, or separate from the PHP 1 billion request. When Elago asked why the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reduced the NEP amount, Fuentebella said DBM was not present and no reason had been given to them; Elago asked the Council to provide a clearer explanation.

Elago asked whether DILG and the Council supported restoring the prior level for capacity building and institutional development. Fuentebella said yes. This was support for restoration, not an appropriation vote or a stated approved amount.

Elago said the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) faced a 13 percent budget cut, especially for planning, management and monitoring of gender-mainstreaming rules under the Magna Carta of Women, as well as reductions in technical assistance, advisory services and gender-and-development capacity building. She called for restoring these programs to their FY2026 level or adding funds, alongside support for the National Youth Commission (NYC) and other policy-making bodies. The round records no sponsor response or disposition on this PCW request before Elago moved to public-market fees.

Elago asked where the reported 8.32 percent of barangays without a child development center were located and when the status of centers was last validated. Fuentebella said some barangays share centers where there is no buildable space and described facilities and training as priorities in his district. He offered region-level data; he then stated that, out of 42,000 barangays, 75,880 had existing centers. That count does not reconcile with the denominator or with the 91.68 percent coverage figure Elago cited, and the source does not clarify its basis.

Elago requested city/province and center details, including numbers of child development workers and teachers, for submission to her representation and the House. She noted that in some third-, fourth- and fifth-class municipalities, centers existed but still lacked complete facilities, staff and equipment to provide safe spaces. She asked DILG and the ECCD Council to report on monitoring and evaluation. Fuentebella agreed to submit the information.

Elago asked Fuentebella to explain the country's Global Gender Gap Index parity score. He described education, health and political participation as parameters and offered to submit a report released the prior week. Elago said the index reflects how gender affects access to rights, resources and opportunities, not the quality, accessibility or availability of services. She cited scores of 0.78 for economic participation and opportunity, 0.98 for educational attainment, 0.98 for health and survival, and 0.37 for political empowerment; she explained the last as 37 percent of a 100 percent equal-rights and representation goal.

Citing a final Gender and Development (GAD) utilization report from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), which she said came from PCW, Elago said 80.62 percent of allocated agency GAD budgets had been used. She named the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as the leading national agency in GAD allocation and utilization, citing a PHP 36 billion total agency budget and PHP 30.2 billion GAD allocation (83 percent of its budget). Fuentebella said the figures were reviewed and had means of verification. Elago also cited the Philippine Army as fifth-ranked with 15.37 percent; the measure for that figure was not specified in this exchange.

Elago asked whether PCW had endorsed a Men's Rights Seminar in the Department of National Defense (DND) GAD plan and budget. Fuentebella initially appeared to confirm, then said he did not recall whether PCW had endorsed that particular seminar, asked for its date and details so they could verify, and said PCW supported equal rights for women and men. Elago said GAD covers equal rights and access for women, men and gender-diverse people, and called for review of each activity to ensure it advanced equality rather than backlash. The specific endorsement remained unconfirmed in this round.

Elago reported that vendors consulted at San Andres Market said daily rent had risen from PHP 60 in 2016 to PHP 169. At Santa Ana Market, she said daily rent had risen from PHP 35 to PHP 120. She also listed accumulated business-permit, fire-safety, health, utilities, garbage, developer and annual contract-renewal fees, and asked how DILG monitored local charges and ensured local governments did not exceed their powers.

Fuentebella said DILG's role was general supervision, while respecting local autonomy. He described the process as requiring a tax ordinance and public consultation and said DILG's authority was limited to supervision when the process was followed and charges were not abusive. Elago then asked what monitoring mechanism and redress were available. No answer to Elago's final question is recorded here; her discussion of market oversight and vendor protections continues in Part 2.