{ "hearing": { "hearing_id": 44, "title": "House Committee on Appropriations: DSWD - September 8, 2026", "hearing_date": "2026-09-08", "official_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RTzhDP4x2Q" }, "digest_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/digests/h44/", "notice": "AI-assisted working draft. AI can make errors. Always verify consequential interpretations and wording against the cited transcript and official video.", "at_a_glance": [ { "label": "The proposed budget and agency requests", "text": "Presiding Rep. JC Rahman A. Nava, M.D. and Committee Chair Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing led questioning of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian and agency officials. Members pressed for restorations in crisis assistance, disaster response, feeding and operating systems as service targets continued despite lower proposed funding. Officials distinguished capital and ICT cuts from recurring services, defended delivery choices and promised updated funding requests.", "citations": [] }, { "label": "Assistance, livelihoods and poverty reduction", "text": "Members questioned the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Uplift assistance, social pension, Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and food and feeding services. Officials discussed changing eligibility, manual validation, benefit delivery and the role of livelihood support alongside emergency assistance.", "citations": [] }, { "label": "Children, disability access and older people", "text": "Questions covered child protection and juvenile justice facilities, disability data and Filipino Sign Language access, senior pensions and centenarian gifts, and support for LGBTQIA communities. Officials described staffing and service constraints and offered data, lists or planning follow-ups. National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) officials and Gatchalian disagreed over forecasting and access to Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) and Philippine Identification System (PhilSys); Suansing called for an interagency meeting.", "citations": [] }, { "label": "Disaster response and local delivery", "text": "Members raised local disaster funds, emergency assistance, evacuation food packs, water access, repacking centers and damaged community infrastructure. Officials described replenishment and logistics needs, proposed future facility submissions, and discussed ways to plan for longer-term and recurring emergencies.", "citations": [] }, { "label": "Requests, follow-ups and closing", "text": "Members expressed support for several increases, and officials undertook to provide information or add needs to later submissions. Those requests and commitments were not appropriation approvals. Presiding Rep. Nava approved procedural motions to terminate this hearing and suspend proceedings without prejudice to a concurrent hearing elsewhere.", "citations": [] } ], "method_note": "AI-assisted working draft based on the reviewed transcript. Check consequential details against the timed transcript and official video. Original budget submissions, later funding requests and procedural decisions are distinguished; unclear budget scales and scope remain explicit.", "sections": [ { "key": "budget-summary", "label": "Agency budget summary", "items": [ { "label": "FY2027 DSWD and connected-agency NEP allocations", "text": "For FY2027, the National Expenditure Program (NEP) proposes PHP 241.2 billion for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the attached and supervised agencies included in its presentation. The DSWD Office of the Secretary accounts for PHP 235.7 billion. Attached-agency amounts are PHP 136.3 million for the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), PHP 91.6 million for the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), PHP 126.3 million for the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC), and PHP 811.8 million for the National Authority for Child Care (NACC). Supervised-agency amounts are PHP 3.8 billion for the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), PHP 359.9 million for the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), and PHP 233.4 million for the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP). The presentation says FY2027 NEP levels for DSWD and the included agencies are generally below FY2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) levels, except for personnel-service increases at NACC and NCSC associated with new or filled positions. It provides no comparable numeric FY2026 GAA total for this agency set. Executive Order 123 placed NAPC and PCUP under the Office of the President for administrative supervision, although their FY2027 figures remain in the DSWD presentation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000279", "start_seconds": 1075.12, "clock": "00:17:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000279" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000280", "start_seconds": 1081.72, "clock": "00:18:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000280" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000281", "start_seconds": 1088.18, "clock": "00:18:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000281" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000282", "start_seconds": 1094.04, "clock": "00:18:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000282" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000283", "start_seconds": 1100.4, "clock": "00:18:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000283" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000284", "start_seconds": 1104.46, "clock": "00:18:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000284" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000286", "start_seconds": 1105.12, "clock": "00:18:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000286" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000287", "start_seconds": 1109.66, "clock": "00:18:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000287" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000288", "start_seconds": 1115.22, "clock": "00:18:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000288" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000289", "start_seconds": 1123.5, "clock": "00:18:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000289" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000294", "start_seconds": 1154.78, "clock": "00:19:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000294" } ] }, { "label": "Original agency requests and comparison limits", "text": "Original requests identified in the hearing include PHP 318,211,000 for CWC's FY2027 proposal before the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) recommendation, reported by CWC Executive Director Angelo M. Tapales, and PHP 287 million for the NCDA Tier 1 and Tier 2 proposal before the NEP, reported by NCDA Executive Director Glenda D. Relova. These are agency-level request figures, not a consolidated original DSWD request. The DSWD presentation does not state DSWD's whole-agency original DBM submission total, so that request cannot be compared numerically with the department-wide NEP. In the CWC exchange, Tapales later gave a FY2027 NEP figure as \"148,999\" and said it included Retirement and Life Insurance Premium (RLIP) along with personnel services (PS), maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), and capital outlay (CO); the stated figure has no unit or clear scale in the transcript and is not converted or reconciled with the presentation figure above. Complete original submission totals for the other agencies were not quantified in the hearing; their later operating or program requests are reported separately.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007457", "start_seconds": 24104.26, "clock": "06:41:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007457" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000710", "start_seconds": 2994.77, "clock": "00:49:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000710" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007459", "start_seconds": 24116.56, "clock": "06:41:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007459" } ] } ] }, { "key": "budget-department-of-social-welfare-and-development-dswd", "label": "Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) budget", "items": [ { "label": "FY2027 major program allocations", "text": "The FY2027 NEP provides ₱33.3 billion for Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), including ₱29.4 billion in subsidies. Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) is allocated ₱99.1 billion, including ₱81.3 billion for conditional cash grants, with a target of 3.5 million beneficiaries. Social pension for indigent senior citizens is allocated ₱51.6 billion, of which ₱50.8 billion is for subsidies. The Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) is allocated ₱5.1 billion, including ₱3.1 billion in subsidies. Residential and center-based services are proposed ₱3.3 billion for a target of 8,640 clients. For Walang Gutom, the presentation identifies ₱1.89 billion for a locally funded project and ₱3.87 billion for a foreign-assisted project, targeting 50,000 and 750,000 households respectively. Tarabasa is proposed ₱900 million for 66,633 beneficiaries, including 47,595 learners; Pag-Abot is proposed ₱807 million for 5,000 clients. These are program allocations or project amounts within DSWD's presentation, not additions to the department-wide NEP total.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000314", "start_seconds": 1270.3, "clock": "00:21:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000314" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000315", "start_seconds": 1278.72, "clock": "00:21:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000315" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000356", "start_seconds": 1503.1399999999999, "clock": "00:25:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000356" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000357", "start_seconds": 1510.28, "clock": "00:25:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000357" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000358", "start_seconds": 1517.4, "clock": "00:25:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000358" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000460", "start_seconds": 2017.88, "clock": "00:33:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000460" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000494", "start_seconds": 2193.54, "clock": "00:36:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000494" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000495", "start_seconds": 2203.7799999999997, "clock": "00:36:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000495" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000519", "start_seconds": 2323.2, "clock": "00:38:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000519" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000520", "start_seconds": 2328.2200000000003, "clock": "00:38:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000520" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000558", "start_seconds": 2465.92, "clock": "00:41:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000558" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000559", "start_seconds": 2471.7799999999997, "clock": "00:41:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000559" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000560", "start_seconds": 2477.7200000000003, "clock": "00:41:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000560" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000583", "start_seconds": 2531.94, "clock": "00:42:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000583" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000584", "start_seconds": 2534.92, "clock": "00:42:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000584" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000607", "start_seconds": 2596.56, "clock": "00:43:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000607" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000608", "start_seconds": 2598.96, "clock": "00:43:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000608" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000585", "start_seconds": 2538.34, "clock": "00:42:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000585" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000586", "start_seconds": 2539.6, "clock": "00:42:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000586" } ] }, { "label": "Utilization and appropriations context", "text": "For FY2025, the Department of Budget and Management released approximately ₱265 billion to DSWD from its agency budget and other fund sources; the secretary reported near-total utilization as of July 2026. For FY2026, the department had used 70% of its ₱262.9 billion agency-specific budget. Of ₱9.6 billion released for Calamity Fund and Quick Response Fund replenishments, 78% had been used. These release and utilization figures cover different funding scopes and should not be read as the department's NEP or its original request. In its separate disaster-response account, DSWD reported using PHP 10.4 billion of PHP 12.6 billion released from the Quick Response Fund in FY2026; that scope is retained separately from the earlier replenishment figures. For 4Ps, FY2025 allotments were PHP 63.7 billion, with PHP 63.4 billion used (99.53%); FY2026 allotments were PHP 112.9 billion, including PHP 98.3 billion for grants. The FY2026 social-pension allotment was PHP 51 billion. The Sustainable Livelihood Program reported full obligation of its PHP 6.2 billion FY2025 allocation, with 98.71% disbursed. Pag-Abot reported a PHP 807 million FY2026 budget.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000253", "start_seconds": 939.84, "clock": "00:15:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000253" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000254", "start_seconds": 948.56, "clock": "00:15:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000254" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000258", "start_seconds": 960.04, "clock": "00:16:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000258" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000259", "start_seconds": 970.04, "clock": "00:16:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000259" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000439", "start_seconds": 1922.82, "clock": "00:32:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000439" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000352", "start_seconds": 1475.88, "clock": "00:24:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000352" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000354", "start_seconds": 1489.88, "clock": "00:24:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000354" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000459", "start_seconds": 2012.6, "clock": "00:33:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000459" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000491", "start_seconds": 2166.82, "clock": "00:36:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000491" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000492", "start_seconds": 2174.98, "clock": "00:36:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000492" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000606", "start_seconds": 2591.16, "clock": "00:43:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000606" } ] }, { "label": "LGBTQIA affairs office request and available support", "text": "Rep. Percival \"Perci\" Cendaña said reports put the DSWD special committee on LGBTQIA affairs’ current-year budget below PHP 2 million and asked Secretary Rex Gatchalian to confirm it. Gatchalian said DSWD had asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for a PHP 8 million line-item allocation to run the policy office, but the request was not granted. He said DSWD was finding support within the Secretary’s and operations budgets, including for field missions, while the department’s operating units carry out programs developed by its policy bodies. Cendaña argued that budget support is a concrete measure of priority and said the community would judge the administration’s commitment by funding for the committee’s work. The below-PHP-2-million figure is Cendaña’s report and is not directly confirmed in the exchange; the PHP 8 million was a request, not an approved allocation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000774", "start_seconds": 3147.77, "clock": "00:52:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000774" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000781", "start_seconds": 3158.77, "clock": "00:52:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000781" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000799", "start_seconds": 3183.77, "clock": "00:53:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000799" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000800", "start_seconds": 3185.77, "clock": "00:53:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000800" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000815", "start_seconds": 3208.77, "clock": "00:53:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000815" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000940", "start_seconds": 3337.77, "clock": "00:55:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000940" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000944", "start_seconds": 3341.77, "clock": "00:55:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000944" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000783", "start_seconds": 3160.77, "clock": "00:52:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000783" } ] }, { "label": "AICS access and support for people living with HIV", "text": "Cendaña asked how many people living with HIV had received assistance through the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program and whether DSWD had a dedicated allocation for them or treated assistance as part of a lump sum. Gatchalian said the department did not yet have disaggregated figures and committed to furnish them to the committee after the hearing. He described an existing community-based program for people living with HIV and their families under the operations cluster, providing financial and psychosocial support tailored to clients’ needs, and offered to provide further details. Cendaña asked DSWD to explore a separate line item for benefits and assistance; no decision on that request is recorded in this round.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000974", "start_seconds": 3372.77, "clock": "00:56:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000974" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001011", "start_seconds": 3409.77, "clock": "00:56:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001011" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001031", "start_seconds": 3429.77, "clock": "00:57:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001031" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000981", "start_seconds": 3379.77, "clock": "00:56:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000981" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001074", "start_seconds": 3472.77, "clock": "00:57:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001074" } ] }, { "label": "Care-facility capital spending and restoration request", "text": "Cendaña asked how the sharp capital-outlay reductions in DSWD’s FY2027 budget would affect operations. Gatchalian said the department was concerned about aging care facilities, some around 50 years old, and sought restoration of capital funding for their upkeep, upgrades, and maintenance. He identified the amount requested for restoration as PHP 800 million, saying that this amount had been lost from the department’s submission; he added that much of the current-year capital expenditure went to repairing care facilities. Cendaña called the care-facility cut a necessary amendment to the NEP.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001099", "start_seconds": 3497.77, "clock": "00:58:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001099" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001158", "start_seconds": 3557.77, "clock": "00:59:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001158" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001159", "start_seconds": 3558.77, "clock": "00:59:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001159" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001161", "start_seconds": 3560.77, "clock": "00:59:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001161" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001162", "start_seconds": 3561.77, "clock": "00:59:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001162" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001111", "start_seconds": 3510.2, "clock": "00:58:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001111" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001175", "start_seconds": 3574.77, "clock": "00:59:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001175" } ] }, { "label": "Regional centers and Supplemental Feeding Program funding", "text": "For the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional centers, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian gave a FY2027 maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) total of ₱2.295875 billion, describing it as funding for psychosocial support, grief counseling and other interventions at the centers. Representative Dadah Kiram Ismula asked whether that amount would cover essential operating tools, especially vehicles dedicated to the centers; Gatchalian answered that it is never enough for vulnerable people. Gatchalian also said Congress had provided close to ₱200 million for cost-of-care payments in the prior year, allowing DSWD to refer clients to accredited private social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs) when public facilities are overcrowded, rather than relying only on new construction. In a closing manifestation, Ismula compared the Supplemental Feeding Program's ₱9.56 billion current-year funding with its ₱6.35 billion FY2027 NEP allocation and said she would move at the proper time to increase DSWD's FY2027 budget. This was an announced future proposal; no budget increase was adopted in this exchange.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001648", "start_seconds": 5051.84, "clock": "01:24:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001648" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001663", "start_seconds": 5123.08, "clock": "01:25:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001663" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001670", "start_seconds": 5137.87, "clock": "01:25:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001670" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001671", "start_seconds": 5140.03, "clock": "01:25:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001671" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001871", "start_seconds": 5713.84, "clock": "01:35:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001871" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001872", "start_seconds": 5719.52, "clock": "01:35:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001872" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001873", "start_seconds": 5725.52, "clock": "01:35:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001873" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001706", "start_seconds": 5210.15, "clock": "01:26:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001706" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001707", "start_seconds": 5212.07, "clock": "01:26:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001707" } ] }, { "label": "Amatong backs a PHP 1 billion SLP augmentation", "text": "Rep. Adrian Michael A. Amatong asked whether the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) budget had been reduced. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian confirmed the cut and said DSWD had written the committee seeking restoration or at least PHP 1 billion in augmentation; he later said the agency had submitted a PHP 1 billion augmentation request for SLP. This was a later program augmentation request in the FY2027 budget discussion, not the agency’s original total request or an approved appropriation. Amatong supported increasing SLP funding, saying he would support more than PHP 1 billion if possible. He contrasted livelihood support that helps people build self-sufficiency with recurring dole-outs, and cited his district’s experience and SLP work in Zamboanga del Norte. Gatchalian acknowledged SLP augmentation as one of the two concerns Amatong raised. Presiding Rep. JC Rahman A. Nava, M.D. said the manifestation was well noted; the exchange records support and a request, not committee approval of the increase.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001894", "start_seconds": 5804.34, "clock": "01:36:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001894" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001895", "start_seconds": 5811.78, "clock": "01:36:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001895" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001898", "start_seconds": 5817.16, "clock": "01:36:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001898" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001901", "start_seconds": 5835.08, "clock": "01:37:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001901" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001902", "start_seconds": 5840.6, "clock": "01:37:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001902" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001910", "start_seconds": 5880.44, "clock": "01:38:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001910" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001959", "start_seconds": 6120.72, "clock": "01:42:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001959" } ] }, { "label": "DSWD office repairs and general-services funding", "text": "Amatong described crowded DSWD offices, files filling rooms and poor shelter for staff and clients, and asked Secretary Gatchalian whether the department had sought infrastructure augmentation. Gatchalian said General Administration and Support Services (GASS) funding had been removed, but after Amatong raised the conditions and he inspected the offices, DSWD had already downloaded central-office funds to repair them. He said the department was seeking longer-term augmentation for its general-services budget. He also explained that regional budgets included maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) for repairs, and that the Region IX director should have raised the funding shortfall earlier. Amatong emphasized that the conditions affected offices nationwide and reiterated his support for DSWD infrastructure. Gatchalian appreciated the support and said regional repair funds should have been used; the exchange records repairs funded through the central-office transfer and a general-services augmentation request.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001915", "start_seconds": 5915.84, "clock": "01:38:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001915" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001920", "start_seconds": 5946.01, "clock": "01:39:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001920" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001923", "start_seconds": 5958.34, "clock": "01:39:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001923" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001938", "start_seconds": 6021.39, "clock": "01:40:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001938" } ] }, { "label": "Project SAFE, ProtecTEEN and Project Aruga funding", "text": "For fiscal year 2027, the National Expenditure Program (NEP) provides ₱50 million to be shared among Project SAFE, ProtecTEEN and Project Aruga. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Congress and the Senate had provided ₱25 million for each program during the current year, but that augmentation was removed in the NEP. DSWD asked the committee to restore ₱25 million for each program; Gatchalian said this was the amount the department was still seeking under tight fiscal space. Representative Sarah Jane I. Elago said the amount should not be zero, called for restoration of ₱25 million and said more should be added if possible. The request remained pending in this exchange; no committee disposition is recorded. Gatchalian said that if the funding returned, ProtecTEEN could continue beyond its 415 young mothers in phase one, with a projected 841 additional young mothers and another 1,128 in year three. He said Project Aruga could affect 3,390 households and Project SAFE's projected target of 3,417 if funding did not return. He described SAFE as an advocacy program against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children and trafficking.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001966", "start_seconds": 6152.63, "clock": "01:42:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001966" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001967", "start_seconds": 6160.98, "clock": "01:42:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001967" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001968", "start_seconds": 6165.36, "clock": "01:42:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001968" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001969", "start_seconds": 6173.76, "clock": "01:42:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001969" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001970", "start_seconds": 6181.2, "clock": "01:43:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001970" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001972", "start_seconds": 6197.32, "clock": "01:43:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001972" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001975", "start_seconds": 6208.48, "clock": "01:43:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001975" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001995", "start_seconds": 6316.14, "clock": "01:45:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001995" } ] }, { "label": "Shelter capacity, survivor data and cost of care", "text": "Representative Sarah Jane I. Elago asked whether DSWD’s earlier count of centers covered women only or women and children. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian first answered that the count was for women only, then clarified that women and children were included, and counted 14 centers managed by DSWD, 45 by local governments and 54 private centers monitored by DSWD. Asked for victim-survivor client counts across public and private facilities, he promised to provide the private and local-government data and reported 5,833 clients in DSWD facilities. Elago also asked which local governments needed new facilities; Gatchalian said DSWD would provide that list and described a public-private partnership (PPP) approach, since securing land, construction and permits take time. He said accredited private social welfare and development agencies (SWDAs) had spare capacity and DSWD could refer clients and pay cost of care. Elago asked the committee to await the promised counts and needs report to assess shelter gaps, emphasizing safe temporary space for survivors.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001997", "start_seconds": 6325.76, "clock": "01:45:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001997" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002005", "start_seconds": 6362.54, "clock": "01:46:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002005" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002007", "start_seconds": 6385.93, "clock": "01:46:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002007" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002010", "start_seconds": 6397.09, "clock": "01:46:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002010" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002012", "start_seconds": 6407.09, "clock": "01:46:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002012" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002001-split-2", "start_seconds": 6346.8, "clock": "01:45:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002001-split-2" } ] }, { "label": "Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act implementation", "text": "Asked about implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA), Gatchalian said it was underway but incomplete, and opposed lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility before the law was fully implemented. He cited missing Bahay Pag-asa facilities in highly urbanized cities and provinces. He said Congress had funded startup capital for five regional Bahay Pag-asa facilities and DSWD was awaiting release of the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) before building. The cost-of-care mechanism could also refer children in conflict with the law to private facilities. Gatchalian identified restorative justice and giving young people a second chance as areas where implementation remained incomplete. Elago welcomed DSWD’s position, also opposed lowering the minimum age, and asked which gaps should receive urgent funding next year. Gatchalian did not provide a ranked list in this exchange.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002032", "start_seconds": 6490.29, "clock": "01:48:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002032" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002034", "start_seconds": 6497.37, "clock": "01:48:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002034" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002048", "start_seconds": 6556.17, "clock": "01:49:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002048" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002049", "start_seconds": 6559.33, "clock": "01:49:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002049" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002064", "start_seconds": 6621.27, "clock": "01:50:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002064" } ] }, { "label": "Solo-parent subsidy compliance and proposed funding", "text": "Elago asked whether every local government provides the monthly subsidy required for low-income solo parents under the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act. Gatchalian said some local governments do not comply because the law makes provision subject to fund availability. Of 1,658 local governments, 478 were complying; he identified highly urbanized cities and first-class component cities as the compliant group and asked Congress to help make the mandate a priority. Elago said she would later propose a special provision to ensure funding, prioritizing third-, fourth- and fifth-class municipalities.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002161", "start_seconds": 6929.76, "clock": "01:55:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002161" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002168", "start_seconds": 6947.02, "clock": "01:55:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002168" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002188", "start_seconds": 6994.6, "clock": "01:56:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002188" } ] }, { "label": "Cagas supports SLP augmentation", "text": "Rep. John Tracy F. Cagas then offered support for increasing the SLP budget by at least PHP 1 billion, referring to the Secretary’s earlier request, and gave full support to the DSWD budget. This was a member’s support for an augmentation request; Presiding Rep. JC Rahman A. Nava, M.D. thanked Cagas, with no committee vote or appropriation approval in this exchange.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002517", "start_seconds": 7456.32, "clock": "02:04:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002517" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002526", "start_seconds": 7464.92, "clock": "02:04:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002526" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002550", "start_seconds": 7492.68, "clock": "02:04:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002550" } ] }, { "label": "Poverty trend, 4Ps budget, and coverage", "text": "Rep. JC M. Abalos cited a decline in poverty incidence from 15.5% in 2023 to 9.7% in 2025, while noting a Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) estimate that the Middle East crisis could raise poverty incidence by 1.19 percentage points, affecting about 1.34 million households. He asked whether the PHP 241.56 billion budget figure he cited was sufficient to sustain poverty-reduction gains. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) caseload should respond to measured poverty incidence rather than remain fixed at 4.4 million households; he said its coverage also includes near-poor households up to 10% above the poverty threshold, who may be pushed back into poverty by shocks. Gatchalian said the program’s target catchment remained 3.5 million. On funding, he first said there were no significant cuts, then described a significant cut of about PHP 13 billion in the 4Ps budget, which he said would not change that target catchment. He also said the poverty figures did not yet account for the Middle East energy emergency and argued for broad social protection to protect households’ gains.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002600", "start_seconds": 7553.33, "clock": "02:05:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002600" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002609", "start_seconds": 7562.35, "clock": "02:06:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002609" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002610", "start_seconds": 7564.11, "clock": "02:06:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002610" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002619", "start_seconds": 7575.21, "clock": "02:06:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002619" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002706", "start_seconds": 7665.51, "clock": "02:07:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002706" } ] }, { "label": "Social-pension budget and additional coverage request", "text": "Abalos said the FY2027 social-pension budget was about PHP 51.6 billion and the planned beneficiary count was rising by about 151,775 to 4.24 million indigent seniors. He asked whether a flat budget could cover the increase without reducing the per-person pension or creating new waitlists. Gatchalian answered that it was not enough: the CBMS-identified eligible waitlist was already about half a million. He said DSWD was seeking an additional PHP 6.8 billion to cover those identified through CBMS alone, while noting that the ground-level waitlist was larger. The PHP 6.8 billion is a later augmentation request, distinct from the stated FY2027 budget.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003097", "start_seconds": 8111.6, "clock": "02:15:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003097" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003098", "start_seconds": 8116.88, "clock": "02:15:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003098" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003099", "start_seconds": 8126.7, "clock": "02:15:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003099" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003100", "start_seconds": 8137.48, "clock": "02:15:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003100" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003104", "start_seconds": 8160.68, "clock": "02:16:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003104" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003105", "start_seconds": 8166.68, "clock": "02:16:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003105" } ] }, { "label": "Support for DSWD and NCSC budget increases", "text": "Rep. Salvador A. Pleyto expressed full support for the proposed Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) budgets and asked his colleagues in the appropriations committee to increase them.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003252", "start_seconds": 8568.22, "clock": "02:22:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003252" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003260", "start_seconds": 8584.22, "clock": "02:23:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003260" } ] }, { "label": "Tinio’s decade-long aid budget series and poverty strategy", "text": "Rep. Antonio L. Tinio presented a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assistance-program series covering 2016–2026, with a proposed 2027 column, and described its total as rising from PHP 73 billion in 2016 to PHP 184 billion in 2026, a 152% increase. His chart grouped the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), and other assistance programs. On a separate NEP-versus-General Appropriations Act (GAA) tab, he said enacted assistance roughly matched the National Expenditure Program (NEP) proposal from 2016 to 2021, while congressional additions became significant from 2022, especially in 2024 and 2026; he identified ACAP as a congressional addition. Tinio asked whether the more-than-doubled assistance budget reflected poverty policy relying on cash aid instead of jobs and livelihoods. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said conditional programs such as 4Ps and the Food Stamp Program were human-capital investments rather than unconditional transfers, intended to break intergenerational poverty. He said roughly half of DSWD’s budget went to 4Ps, illustrating with a hypothetical PHP 200 billion total and PHP 100 billion 4Ps share; these were not actual allocations.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003274", "start_seconds": 8615.86, "clock": "02:23:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003274" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003295", "start_seconds": 8685.86, "clock": "02:24:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003295" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003296", "start_seconds": 8689.86, "clock": "02:24:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003296" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003302", "start_seconds": 8711.86, "clock": "02:25:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003302" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003315", "start_seconds": 8758.86, "clock": "02:25:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003315" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003322", "start_seconds": 8781.86, "clock": "02:26:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003322" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003329", "start_seconds": 8795.86, "clock": "02:26:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003329" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003342", "start_seconds": 8832.86, "clock": "02:27:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003342" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003360", "start_seconds": 8885.86, "clock": "02:28:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003360" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003364", "start_seconds": 8894.86, "clock": "02:28:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003364" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003391", "start_seconds": 8964.86, "clock": "02:29:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003391" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003392", "start_seconds": 8966.86, "clock": "02:29:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003392" } ] }, { "label": "SLP budget trend and requests for stronger support", "text": "Tinio described SLP as a bridge for people graduating from 4Ps and estimated a 45% decade decline from about PHP 10 billion to nearly PHP 5 billion, then gave a conflicting endpoint: less than PHP 5 billion or PHP 6 billion. Gatchalian said DSWD had repeatedly asked for more SLP funding and cited an approximate PHP 6–7 billion level when he joined the department; he said annual changes sometimes added PHP 1 billion and sometimes reduced funding by PHP 500 million. When Tinio asked whether Congress was reducing SLP as a matter of policy, Gatchalian said no, explaining that SLP had started small and had not received equal support, and urged greater investment. These are Tinio’s chart figures and Gatchalian’s retrospective descriptions; they do not establish a reconciled current allocation or original agency request.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003461", "start_seconds": 9120.58, "clock": "02:32:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003461" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003464", "start_seconds": 9126.58, "clock": "02:32:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003464" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003465", "start_seconds": 9129.2, "clock": "02:32:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003465" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003466", "start_seconds": 9130.6, "clock": "02:32:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003466" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003467", "start_seconds": 9132.56, "clock": "02:32:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003467" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003468", "start_seconds": 9134.1, "clock": "02:32:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003468" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003478", "start_seconds": 9154.48, "clock": "02:32:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003478" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003479", "start_seconds": 9157.0, "clock": "02:32:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003479" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003480", "start_seconds": 9158.52, "clock": "02:32:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003480" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003485", "start_seconds": 9169.38, "clock": "02:32:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003485" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003488", "start_seconds": 9174.42, "clock": "02:32:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003488" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003491", "start_seconds": 9180.58, "clock": "02:33:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003491" } ] }, { "label": "AICS expansion, patronage criticism and referral safeguards", "text": "Tinio’s presentation showed AICS at PHP 700 million in 2016 and PHP 63.9 billion in 2026, which he described as a 9,000% increase. He argued that AICS had become patronage-based, with assistance tied to lists associated with members of Congress and senators, and questioned the growth of aid used politically. Gatchalian pointed to post-2016 shocks: COVID-19’s continuing effects, inflation, and climate-related disasters. He said DSWD uses assistance for disaster response and to help families avoid falling back into poverty. On referrals, he said public or private partners may refer people, but social workers thoroughly assess each case and can still reject it; he described that review as the program’s safeguard. The figures and patronage characterization are Tinio’s presentation and argument, while the response described the department’s rationale and vetting process.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003497", "start_seconds": 9192.62, "clock": "02:33:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003497" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003498", "start_seconds": 9194.38, "clock": "02:33:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003498" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003500", "start_seconds": 9197.22, "clock": "02:33:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003500" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003508", "start_seconds": 9212.82, "clock": "02:33:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003508" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003510", "start_seconds": 9216.42, "clock": "02:33:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003510" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003512", "start_seconds": 9221.5, "clock": "02:33:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003512" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003513", "start_seconds": 9223.86, "clock": "02:33:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003513" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003531", "start_seconds": 9260.96, "clock": "02:34:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003531" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003567", "start_seconds": 9335.98, "clock": "02:35:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003567" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003572", "start_seconds": 9344.18, "clock": "02:35:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003572" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003611", "start_seconds": 9421.54, "clock": "02:37:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003611" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003625", "start_seconds": 9450.98, "clock": "02:37:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003625" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003628", "start_seconds": 9456.24, "clock": "02:37:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003628" } ] }, { "label": "SLP funding, staff and administration requests", "text": "Deputy Speaker Mercedes K. Alvarez asked about constraints on the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) and whether Congress could increase program funding, staff salaries and administrative costs. She noted colleagues were already pushing for an SLP increase. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian described the entrepreneurship side of SLP as having a ₱6 billion line item, without identifying the fiscal year or detailed scope. He also said SLP had minimal plantilla staffing and that staff were overworked.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003771", "start_seconds": 9754.39, "clock": "02:42:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003771" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003784", "start_seconds": 9779.65, "clock": "02:42:59", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003784" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003821", "start_seconds": 9856.07, "clock": "02:44:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003821" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003822", "start_seconds": 9857.91, "clock": "02:44:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003822" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003823", "start_seconds": 9859.61, "clock": "02:44:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003823" } ] }, { "label": "AICS utilization, service gap and restoration request", "text": "For the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), Deputy Speaker Mercedes K. Alvarez asked what service losses could follow a budget reduction. She also asked whether a study comparable to the World Bank and Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) work she cited had assessed AICS effects. Secretary Rex Gatchalian answered with a funding and projected-displacement table. For FY2025, AICS had a ₱44 billion allotment and received a separate ₱14 billion from unprogrammed releases after the allotment proved insufficient; the department said it served 9.4 million beneficiaries that year. For FY2026, Congress provided ₱63.4 billion, 70% of which had been obligated, against a target of 8.7 million people. Gatchalian said the FY2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) level of ₱33 billion projected a service gap of 4,085,631 people. He asked Congress and later the Senate to reinstate AICS at its current level of ₱63.4 billion. Alvarez said she fully supported that restoration request. This exchange records support and a request, not an adopted appropriation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003844", "start_seconds": 9910.72, "clock": "02:45:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003844" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003849", "start_seconds": 9947.8, "clock": "02:45:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003849" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003851", "start_seconds": 9954.48, "clock": "02:45:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003851" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003852", "start_seconds": 9960.1, "clock": "02:46:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003852" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003856", "start_seconds": 9983.22, "clock": "02:46:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003856" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003857", "start_seconds": 9990.38, "clock": "02:46:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003857" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003859", "start_seconds": 10006.64, "clock": "02:46:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003859" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003861", "start_seconds": 10017.86, "clock": "02:46:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003861" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003875", "start_seconds": 10087.16, "clock": "02:48:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003875" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003877", "start_seconds": 10094.42, "clock": "02:48:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003877" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003881", "start_seconds": 10113.26, "clock": "02:48:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003881" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003849-split-2", "start_seconds": 9951.5, "clock": "02:45:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003849-split-2" } ] }, { "label": "Protective social welfare and AICS budget", "text": "Representative Jesus \"Bong\" C. Suntay compared the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) protective social welfare budget at PHP 131.6 billion in FY2026 with PHP 101.4 billion in FY2027 and asked which program was affected. Secretary Rex Gatchalian identified Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) as the largest affected program and clarified the reported reduction as PHP 30 billion. Suntay asked whether AICS absorption of ACAP had resolved duplicate aid; Gatchalian said the issue was addressed and explained to the Commission on Audit, and that fiscal targets were met after consolidation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003934", "start_seconds": 10352.25, "clock": "02:52:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003934" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003935", "start_seconds": 10361.59, "clock": "02:52:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003935" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003937", "start_seconds": 10371.45, "clock": "02:52:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003937" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003939", "start_seconds": 10377.95, "clock": "02:52:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003939" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003940", "start_seconds": 10381.33, "clock": "02:53:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003940" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003944", "start_seconds": 10397.15, "clock": "02:53:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003944" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003952", "start_seconds": 10434.15, "clock": "02:53:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003952" } ] }, { "label": "Congressional funding priority for 4Ps and SLP", "text": "Suntay proposed that if Congress adds funding, it should direct some of it to the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) and Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), whose budget he said had narrowed, to strengthen developmental support alongside emergency assistance. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the points were well taken. This was a funding priority, not a quantified amendment or an adopted appropriation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003993", "start_seconds": 10641.09, "clock": "02:57:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003993" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004003", "start_seconds": 10707.09, "clock": "02:58:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004003" } ] }, { "label": "Senior/PWD budget monitoring and residential-care funding", "text": "Rep. Milagros \"Mila\" Aquino-Magsaysay asked how the statutory 1% allocation in each National Government Agency (NGA) budget for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) is monitored. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said DSWD and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had signed a joint memorandum circular and that DBM monitors compliance through agency submissions. On residential care, Gatchalian said DSWD had four nationally run facilities and sought more funding; it was developing a public-private partnership approach under which DSWD would pay the cost of care when referring a senior to a private facility. The guidelines were nearly complete and awaited DBM's final approval. He separately counted three local-government-run residential facilities; Magsaysay summarized seven nationwide and urged expansion for abandoned and homeless seniors.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004125", "start_seconds": 11246.81, "clock": "03:07:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004125" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004129", "start_seconds": 11270.17, "clock": "03:07:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004129" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004173", "start_seconds": 11478.28, "clock": "03:11:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004173" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004178", "start_seconds": 11490.82, "clock": "03:11:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004178" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004185", "start_seconds": 11508.28, "clock": "03:11:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004185" } ] }, { "label": "QRF seed funding and replenishment", "text": "Representative Iris Marie Demesa Montes relayed her colleague Rep. Johanne Monich G. Bautista’s question about the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) regular Quick Response Fund (QRF) seed and replenishments. Montes cited a FY2025 regular seed of PHP 1.25 billion followed by PHP 7.8 billion in replenishment, and a FY2026 regular seed of PHP 3 billion followed by PHP 9.6 billion in replenishment. She said the proposed FY2027 seed was PHP 1.25 billion and asked whether it would be sufficient and replenished when disasters required it. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the fund was replenishable, but asked the committee to restore the seed to its FY2026 level of PHP 3 billion so the department could respond faster to simultaneous, multi-region disasters and reduce delays in procurement and emergency cash transfers. He said replenishment draws on the National QRF and characterized restoring the seed as adding no government cost because funds remain lodged in the national fund. Montes supported restoring the FY2026 QRF level.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004232", "start_seconds": 11765.92, "clock": "03:16:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004232" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004236", "start_seconds": 11776.1, "clock": "03:16:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004236" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004237", "start_seconds": 11802.71, "clock": "03:16:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004237" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004239", "start_seconds": 11831.94, "clock": "03:17:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004239" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004241", "start_seconds": 11844.18, "clock": "03:17:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004241" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004243", "start_seconds": 11857.56, "clock": "03:17:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004243" } ] }, { "label": "Bautista supports DSWD budget additions for AICS and QRF", "text": "Rep. Johanne Monich G. Bautista praised the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and expressed full support for its budget, saying more was needed. She supported restoring at least the amount removed from the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) under the National Expenditure Program (NEP), and adding to DSWD's Quick Response Fund (QRF). She said the QRF supports direct assistance to people. Bautista reiterated support for the requested DSWD budget and additional funding. These were expressions of support for proposed increases.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004303", "start_seconds": 12229.71, "clock": "03:23:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004303" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004305", "start_seconds": 12241.31, "clock": "03:24:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004305" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004353", "start_seconds": 12451.11, "clock": "03:27:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004353" } ] }, { "label": "Local QRF use and LGU counterpart funding", "text": "Rep. Cielo Krisel Lagman said local governments in Albay were no longer using their own Quick Response Funds (QRFs) because they relied on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)'s sustained disaster response, and challenged the idea that DSWD should only augment local action. Secretary Rex Gatchalian agreed that low local QRF utilization was a concern and said DSWD was discussing the issue with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). He corrected his initial estimate of a two- or three-year reversion period: local QRF balances revert to the general fund after five years. Gatchalian said DSWD would seek a way for local government units (LGUs) to provide counterpart funding and would work with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and DBM to encourage local use of their QRFs, given the heavy use of the national QRF.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004420", "start_seconds": 12747.04, "clock": "03:32:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004420" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004456", "start_seconds": 12870.86, "clock": "03:34:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004456" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004458", "start_seconds": 12886.86, "clock": "03:34:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004458" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004470", "start_seconds": 12939.86, "clock": "03:35:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004470" } ] }, { "label": "Universal social pension expansion and proposed benefit levels", "text": "Rep. Atty. Miro S. Quimbo noted that the next year's social-pension budget was slightly lower despite a target increase of more than 50,000 beneficiaries. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian referred to a congressional amendment and said funding was tight, then strongly supported a universal pension and adding funds to serve all seniors. Quimbo proposed a lower monthly benefit for new beneficiaries—PHP 500 rather than the PHP 1,000 monthly benefit for existing recipients—to make expansion more affordable, and suggested directing funds otherwise used for flood-control projects to the pension program. Gatchalian agreed with both ideas. Quimbo said he would move for more funding at the appropriate time; this exchange records support and a prospective motion, not an adopted appropriation or an agreed transfer from flood-control funding.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004518", "start_seconds": 13166.68, "clock": "03:39:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004518" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004525", "start_seconds": 13195.54, "clock": "03:39:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004525" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004546", "start_seconds": 13281.88, "clock": "03:41:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004546" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004547", "start_seconds": 13286.74, "clock": "03:41:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004547" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004549", "start_seconds": 13295.46, "clock": "03:41:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004549" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004556", "start_seconds": 13322.1, "clock": "03:42:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004556" } ] }, { "label": "Support for the proposed DSWD budget and medical assistance", "text": "Representative Girlie E. Veloso expressed full support for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) proposed budget, particularly its medical assistance program. She hoped qualified referrals, especially those endorsed by her office, would be approved under existing guidelines. This records support and a hope about eligible referrals, not an appropriation decision or automatic approval.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004640-split-2", "start_seconds": 13757.27, "clock": "03:49:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004640-split-2" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004641", "start_seconds": 13769.96, "clock": "03:49:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004641" } ] }, { "label": "Rodriguez supports the DSWD and attached-agency budgets", "text": "Rep. Eulogio \"Leo\" R. Rodriguez said he was satisfied with DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian's earlier answers and expressed full support for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) budget and its attached agencies. He also supported additional funding if needed to strengthen and expand the department's programs.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004657", "start_seconds": 13846.94, "clock": "03:50:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004657" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004669", "start_seconds": 13886.15, "clock": "03:51:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004669" } ] }, { "label": "Conditional support for a DSWD increase, especially LAWA and BINHI", "text": "Representative Roy M. Loyola said he had no questions on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) budget but strongly supported an increase if the fiscal condition permitted. He described DSWD as an early responder to disasters and a daily source of assistance for vulnerable groups. He praised the LAWA and BINHI programs for helping participants work, become productive and support their families, moving from temporary assistance toward sustainable livelihood and self-reliance. He thanked the regional director for providing the programs to a constituent in Cavite's fifth district and said they encouraged cooperation among participants. Loyola argued that the department needed adequate resources for its responsibilities and asked the committee to increase its proposed budget if funds were available, particularly for LAWA and BINHI to reach more communities. Secretary Rex Gatchalian thanked Loyola for his kind words and acknowledged the work of DSWD staff; this exchange records conditional support and a request, not an adopted increase.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004688", "start_seconds": 14016.79, "clock": "03:53:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004688" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004694", "start_seconds": 14064.27, "clock": "03:54:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004694" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004721", "start_seconds": 14198.81, "clock": "03:56:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004721" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004725-split-2", "start_seconds": 14224.59, "clock": "03:57:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004725-split-2" } ] }, { "label": "AICS disbursement, uplift, and requested restoration", "text": "Rep. Roberto Nazal cited a 93.8% FY2025 AICS disbursement rate and about PHP 3.65 billion undisbursed at year-end. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the FY2025 allocation had since been fully disbursed and DSWD had also received augmentation, disputing that money remained unspent. Nazal contrasted the FY2026 AICS budget of PHP 63.9 billion with the FY2027 proposed amount of PHP 33.3 billion. Gatchalian said that by July about 70% of the FY2026 fund had been disbursed; he described roughly PHP 10 billion as the uplift component and roughly that amount as disbursed, while uplift assistance remained ongoing and DSWD continued drawing on it and receiving augmentation to protect regular AICS operations. He explained that PHP 30 billion in the prior budget had been introduced during congressional amendments and the BARC process, and that such additions are removed from the NEP when it is published. He said the current-year regular operation was not yet affected because it was receiving augmentation, but warned that without restoring the PHP 30 billion about 4 million people could be turned away from needed social welfare. He urged Congress and the Senate to restore it, and Nazal likewise urged members not to remove the amount. No restoration was adopted in this unit.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004866", "start_seconds": 14623.84, "clock": "04:03:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004866" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004869", "start_seconds": 14630.76, "clock": "04:03:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004869" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004870", "start_seconds": 14633.62, "clock": "04:03:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004870" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004873", "start_seconds": 14638.6, "clock": "04:03:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004873" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004875", "start_seconds": 14643.4, "clock": "04:04:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004875" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004876", "start_seconds": 14645.36, "clock": "04:04:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004876" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004881", "start_seconds": 14655.44, "clock": "04:04:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004881" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004898", "start_seconds": 14689.36, "clock": "04:04:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004898" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004899", "start_seconds": 14691.86, "clock": "04:04:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004899" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004900", "start_seconds": 14693.5, "clock": "04:04:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004900" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004916", "start_seconds": 14725.62, "clock": "04:05:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004916" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004936", "start_seconds": 14766.99, "clock": "04:06:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004936" } ] }, { "label": "Solo-parent subsidies and national funding support", "text": "On implementation of the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, Gatchalian said 478 of 1,658 local government units (LGUs) were providing the subsidies prescribed by law. He said LGUs, especially smaller ones, cited insufficient funds for noncompliance. Asked how they could be helped, he said national-government support would be needed to equalize treatment of solo parents, while expressing concern about the government's fiscal capacity. He committed to submit a concept paper to the committee and Nazal on full implementation of the law.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004943", "start_seconds": 14785.08, "clock": "04:06:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004943" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004953", "start_seconds": 14804.56, "clock": "04:06:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004953" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005084", "start_seconds": 15072.42, "clock": "04:11:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005084" } ] }, { "label": "DSWD priority-list restorations and augmentations", "text": "Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez said requests to Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian had been answered and asked for priority restorations. Gatchalian identified the figures below as program-level items on a list submitted to the committee, not DSWD's original submission to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) or its full agency-wide budget. For the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), he said DSWD had requested PHP 43 billion; separately, he said AICS had lost PHP 30 billion and that restoring PHP 30 billion would be enough for comfortable operations. He identified PHP 63 billion as AICS's original 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) level. He then listed PHP 6.8 billion for additional social-pension coverage, which he described as sufficient to cover everyone in the discussed expansion; PHP 1.9 billion for the food-stamps expansion; PHP 456 million for the Tarabasa tutoring program; PHP 178.8 million for Social Technology Bureau programs serving teenage mothers, families with children with special needs, and efforts against online sexual abuse; and a conservative PHP 1 billion for the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP). Rodriguez offered to work for reasonable restorations, recognizing fiscal constraints. Gatchalian said he would furnish the committee with the full letter and total, which he did not state in this exchange. DSWD Undersecretary Eduardo M. Punay later described the food-stamps program's 750,000-household target and said additional funding was needed. Rodriguez said he would move at the proper time to approve the National Expenditure Program (NEP) budgets for DSWD and attached agencies and the augmentations on Gatchalian's list; the motion remained prospective.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005406", "start_seconds": 15703.36, "clock": "04:21:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005406" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005423", "start_seconds": 15737.96, "clock": "04:22:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005423" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005425", "start_seconds": 15741.96, "clock": "04:22:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005425" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005426", "start_seconds": 15744.02, "clock": "04:22:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005426" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005430", "start_seconds": 15751.16, "clock": "04:22:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005430" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005432", "start_seconds": 15755.44, "clock": "04:22:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005432" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005436", "start_seconds": 15764.1, "clock": "04:22:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005436" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005438", "start_seconds": 15766.76, "clock": "04:22:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005438" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005439", "start_seconds": 15771.58, "clock": "04:22:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005439" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005440", "start_seconds": 15773.34, "clock": "04:22:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005440" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005443", "start_seconds": 15778.84, "clock": "04:22:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005443" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005448", "start_seconds": 15788.22, "clock": "04:23:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005448" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005450", "start_seconds": 15792.14, "clock": "04:23:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005450" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005456", "start_seconds": 15805.92, "clock": "04:23:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005456" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005457", "start_seconds": 15807.8, "clock": "04:23:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005457" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005459", "start_seconds": 15810.06, "clock": "04:23:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005459" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005460", "start_seconds": 15812.72, "clock": "04:23:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005460" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005466", "start_seconds": 15825.34, "clock": "04:23:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005466" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005476", "start_seconds": 15845.08, "clock": "04:24:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005476" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005483", "start_seconds": 15861.44, "clock": "04:24:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005483" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005651", "start_seconds": 16200.0, "clock": "04:30:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005651" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005605", "start_seconds": 16106.01, "clock": "04:28:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005605" } ] }, { "label": "Preparedness and support for a DSWD budget increase", "text": "Representative Julius Cesar \"Jay\" V. Vergara said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) deserved proper attention because weather conditions can change despite forecasts, so the department needed to be prepared. He said he had heard from the Secretary, undersecretaries and regional directors, and that all of the department's regional directors deserved commendation. Vergara expressed wholehearted support for a DSWD budget increase and hoped it would be provided so the department could meet its needs and prepare for emergencies. Secretary Rex Gatchalian thanked Vergara..", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005658", "start_seconds": 16285.84, "clock": "04:31:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005658" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005678", "start_seconds": 16401.36, "clock": "04:33:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005678" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005685-split-2", "start_seconds": 16416.38, "clock": "04:33:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005685-split-2" } ] }, { "label": "FY2027 LGBTQIA+ program funding and NEP inclusion request", "text": "Representative Ma. Cristina Talavera Lopez asked about the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) programs for the LGBTQIA+ community, whether a special committee existed and how the work was funded. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian referred the detailed answer to Undersecretary Ellen Pasion. Pasion said DSWD proposed PHP 35 million for FY2027; the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) denied that proposal, and also denied a counterproposal of PHP 8 million. Asked whether current funding came only from the Office of the Secretary maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), Gatchalian said support was being drawn from different DSWD clusters, was limited, and DSWD had sought a separate line item. Lopez then asked Congress to add dedicated funding for the community to the National Expenditure Program (NEP) after citing an executive order (EO). Gatchalian confirmed an EO and said Congress could add to or amend the submitted NEP. This records requests and a response deferring to Congress, not an adopted addition.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005712", "start_seconds": 16479.16, "clock": "04:34:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005712" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005718", "start_seconds": 16490.74, "clock": "04:34:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005718" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005728", "start_seconds": 16516.43, "clock": "04:35:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005728" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005729", "start_seconds": 16517.45, "clock": "04:35:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005729" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005745", "start_seconds": 16551.81, "clock": "04:35:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005745" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005746", "start_seconds": 16553.81, "clock": "04:35:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005746" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005775", "start_seconds": 16636.1, "clock": "04:37:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005775" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005797", "start_seconds": 16677.96, "clock": "04:37:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005797" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005808", "start_seconds": 16699.96, "clock": "04:38:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005808" } ] }, { "label": "Support for increased Sustainable Livelihood Program funding", "text": "Lopez said she believed in the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), noting that many people in Quezon Province benefited from it, and asked that its funding be increased for the year. The presiding member, Rep. JC Rahman A. Nava, M.D., later said her manifestation was duly noted.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005836", "start_seconds": 16755.96, "clock": "04:39:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005836" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005848", "start_seconds": 16779.96, "clock": "04:39:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005848" } ] }, { "label": "FY2025 DSWD obligation and disbursement figures", "text": "Rep. Romeo S. Momo Sr. manifested support for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) budget and said he would support a budget-increase motion at the proper time. He asked about the FY2025 unobligated balance, first saying 2026 and then correcting himself to 2025; his figure was PHP 11.6 billion. He also cited his figures of 96.5% obligation in 2023, 97.5% in 2024 and 96.9% in 2025, then said his data showed 88.1% disbursed in 2024, 91.5% in 2025 and PHP 23 billion still undisbursed. Secretary Rex Gatchalian first said no FY2025 amount remained as of July and cited 99.9%; he later showed a DSWD slide reporting 99.58% obligated and 98.13% disbursed for 2025. He explained that the roughly 2% remaining consisted of unpaid items, official development assistance (ODA) that did not materialize after programs ended, and savings from procurement costs coming in below estimates, which were reverting to the Treasury. He said these were not Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) or other grant-based program funds. For FY2026, Gatchalian described execution as ongoing at around 70% as of July, not as a final full-year result. The exchange does not reconcile Momo's figures with the later DSWD slide on a like-for-like basis; Gatchalian said he would provide the letter/slide materials.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005868", "start_seconds": 16827.51, "clock": "04:40:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005868" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005901", "start_seconds": 16897.64, "clock": "04:41:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005901" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005903", "start_seconds": 16901.64, "clock": "04:41:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005903" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005905", "start_seconds": 16905.64, "clock": "04:41:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005905" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005918", "start_seconds": 16931.64, "clock": "04:42:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005918" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005919", "start_seconds": 16933.64, "clock": "04:42:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005919" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005921", "start_seconds": 16937.64, "clock": "04:42:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005921" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005922", "start_seconds": 16939.64, "clock": "04:42:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005922" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005930", "start_seconds": 16955.64, "clock": "04:42:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005930" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005933", "start_seconds": 16961.64, "clock": "04:42:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005933" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005938", "start_seconds": 16971.64, "clock": "04:42:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005938" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005944", "start_seconds": 16983.64, "clock": "04:43:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005944" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005946", "start_seconds": 16987.64, "clock": "04:43:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005946" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005949", "start_seconds": 16993.64, "clock": "04:43:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005949" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005957", "start_seconds": 17009.64, "clock": "04:43:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005957" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005958", "start_seconds": 17011.64, "clock": "04:43:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005958" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005964", "start_seconds": 17034.98, "clock": "04:43:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005964" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005965", "start_seconds": 17036.98, "clock": "04:43:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005965" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005975", "start_seconds": 17056.98, "clock": "04:44:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005975" } ] }, { "label": "Sustainable Livelihood Program budget and restoration request", "text": "Representative Christopherson \"Coco\" M. Yap praised the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) and said its budget had declined. He cited a sequence of PHP 6.1 billion to PHP 5.3 billion to PHP 5.1 billion, with PHP 3.1 billion for subsidies, and hoped the SLP budget would be restored. The exchange did not clearly assign each figure in his sequence to a fiscal year.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006099", "start_seconds": 17308.25, "clock": "04:48:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006099" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006109", "start_seconds": 17327.15, "clock": "04:48:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006109" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006110", "start_seconds": 17329.49, "clock": "04:48:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006110" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006111", "start_seconds": 17330.81, "clock": "04:48:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006111" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006113", "start_seconds": 17335.79, "clock": "04:48:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006113" } ] }, { "label": "Southern Leyte crisis assistance, satellite offices and facility proposal", "text": "Yap said Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) and other DSWD assistance had helped typhoon-prone Southern Leyte, including burial, transportation, education and medical assistance. He proposed satellite offices closer to communities and government investment through BIPs in multipurpose buildings for district offices, with a strategically located warehouse for disaster response. He also supported restoring the DSWD budget. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said that if Yap could identify a building and warehouse, DSWD would place supplies and staff there. This was a proposal and a conditional staffing/supply commitment; no building funding or construction was approved in the exchange.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006174", "start_seconds": 17461.85, "clock": "04:51:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006174" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006206", "start_seconds": 17526.57, "clock": "04:52:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006206" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006221", "start_seconds": 17555.77, "clock": "04:52:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006221" } ] }, { "label": "LAWA at BINHI and water-program funding requests", "text": "Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga asked whether the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had sought an increase for its LAWA at BINHI water-impounding and farming program. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said DSWD had requested PHP 3.3 billion for the program, while describing the amount in the books as PHP 2.8 billion before correcting himself to PHP 1.8 billion; he then mentioned PHP 1.1 billion without reconciling it to the other amounts. Those figures do not reconcile arithmetically, so the source-stated amounts are retained without recalculation. Gatchalian said the Tier 2 request was not granted because of tight fiscal space. He also said the department later submitted an abridged long wish list totaling PHP 58 billion, rather than identifying that list as the original Department of Budget and Management (DBM) submission or DSWD NEP total. At Enverga's urging, Gatchalian agreed to amend the submission to include LAWA at BINHI and a PHP 20 million potable-water item; this was a promised amendment, not an approved appropriation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006281", "start_seconds": 17685.25, "clock": "04:54:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006281" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006292", "start_seconds": 17714.27, "clock": "04:55:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006292" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006293", "start_seconds": 17716.79, "clock": "04:55:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006293" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006294", "start_seconds": 17718.71, "clock": "04:55:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006294" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006295", "start_seconds": 17720.83, "clock": "04:55:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006295" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006299", "start_seconds": 17728.37, "clock": "04:55:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006299" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006374", "start_seconds": 17878.85, "clock": "04:57:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006374" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006375", "start_seconds": 17880.61, "clock": "04:58:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006375" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006428", "start_seconds": 17986.75, "clock": "04:59:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006428" } ] }, { "label": "KALAHI local line, ODA successor funding, and community counterpart", "text": "Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the Government of the Philippines (GOP) locally funded KALAHI line was PHP 300 million. Communities contribute a 20% counterpart as sweat equity, not cash. The older KALAHI program's World Bank loan expired last year; its successor, Panahon ng Pagkilos, is a separate Official Development Assistance (ODA) line item with its target LGUs already prescribed. Rep. Ivan Howard A. Guintu asked whether funding for the following fiscal year was available; Gatchalian said yes because the successor is ODA and promised to submit the lists of LGUs selected under both the locally funded and ODA community-driven development lines to the committee and Guintu's office. He said the requested funding is never sufficient and asked the committee to consider the program; Guintu said the appropriations process might provide additional funding.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006472", "start_seconds": 18183.64, "clock": "05:03:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006472" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006477", "start_seconds": 18220.52, "clock": "05:03:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006477" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006481", "start_seconds": 18242.4, "clock": "05:04:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006481" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006490", "start_seconds": 18286.82, "clock": "05:04:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006490" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006504", "start_seconds": 18330.78, "clock": "05:05:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006504" } ] }, { "label": "Guintu supports the SLP PHP 1 billion request", "text": "Guintu praised the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) and asked the House Committee on Appropriations to add the PHP 1 billion he understood was needed under the program's request, urging members to prioritize it. This was support for the stated request, not a separate additional amount or an adopted increase; Gatchalian thanked Guintu without recording a funding decision.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006509", "start_seconds": 18355.32, "clock": "05:05:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006509" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006518", "start_seconds": 18406.06, "clock": "05:06:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006518" } ] }, { "label": "Bahay Pag-asa facilities and national support for juvenile interventions", "text": "Representative Alfredo A. \"Pido\" Garbin Jr. asked whether the FY2027 proposed budget would provide for Bahay Pag-asa facilities in localities, especially urban areas. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA) assigns local government units (LGUs) responsibility to build, fund, and operate these facilities, while DSWD sets standards and monitors intervention programs. He said many highly urbanized cities and provinces lacked a facility and argued that the law should allow the national government to step in so restorative justice can work. Gatchalian said Congress and the Senate had initially funded the creation of five regional Bahay Pag-asa facilities, with further funding and release still pending; DSWD was following up on the release of their Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs), marked for later release. He also described a DSWD budget provision to contract services from private social welfare and development agencies and pay clients' cost of care. Referrals for children in conflict with the law to private facilities for rehabilitation and reintegration under intervention plans were awaiting a final go-ahead and guidelines being drafted with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Commission on Audit (COA). Garbin cautioned that private referrals would be limited, particularly for far-flung areas, and urged national funding for LGUs unable to afford or maintain Bahay Pag-asa.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006545", "start_seconds": 18506.94, "clock": "05:08:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006545" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006550", "start_seconds": 18518.47, "clock": "05:08:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006550" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006573", "start_seconds": 18658.47, "clock": "05:10:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006573" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006590", "start_seconds": 18724.47, "clock": "05:12:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006590" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006602", "start_seconds": 18779.1, "clock": "05:12:59", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006602" } ] }, { "label": "San Fernando supports stronger disability programs and additional funding", "text": "Rep. Elijah Rumbaoa San Fernando expressed full support for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and asked to strengthen programs serving Deaf people and other persons with disabilities, saying he would help fight for additional budget if needed. This was a funding-support manifestation, not a quantified proposal or an appropriation decision; presiding Rep. JC Rahman A. Nava, M.D. acknowledged the manifestation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006878", "start_seconds": 19794.8, "clock": "05:29:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006878" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006895", "start_seconds": 19829.84, "clock": "05:30:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006895" } ] }, { "label": "Disaster Quick Response Fund seed and replenishment", "text": "Deputy Speaker Yevgeny Vincente B. Emano asked about the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Quick Response Fund (QRF), then said members could seek a larger advance or additional budget through a letter. In the opening budget clarification, PHP 1.2 billion was initially cited, then corrected to PHP 3 billion lodged with DSWD for FY2026. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Congress had enlarged the seed. He said replenishments are drawn from the separate national QRF and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF): after DSWD uses 50 percent, reimbursement processing takes about three to five days. Gatchalian said DSWD had been reimbursed five times; PHP 9.5 billion was then available in its running total and PHP 7.5 billion had been obligated. He described the proposed increase of the DSWD-held advance back to PHP 3 billion as having no added cost to government because the separate national QRF already holds about PHP 18 billion; it would increase the amount on hand and reduce repeated reimbursements. His clarification treats restoring the advance as a change in timing and access to the existing national fund, not a new PHP 3 billion national cost. Emano proposed seeking a letter for added QRF support.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006911", "start_seconds": 19866.74, "clock": "05:31:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006911" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006916", "start_seconds": 19876.42, "clock": "05:31:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006916" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006919", "start_seconds": 19883.04, "clock": "05:31:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006919" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006920", "start_seconds": 19885.64, "clock": "05:31:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006920" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006930", "start_seconds": 19907.82, "clock": "05:31:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006930" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006932", "start_seconds": 19911.44, "clock": "05:31:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006932" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006960", "start_seconds": 19967.46, "clock": "05:32:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006960" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006978", "start_seconds": 20003.56, "clock": "05:33:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006978" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006980", "start_seconds": 20007.42, "clock": "05:33:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006980" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006990", "start_seconds": 20027.16, "clock": "05:33:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006990" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006992", "start_seconds": 20031.32, "clock": "05:33:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006992" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006999", "start_seconds": 20045.4, "clock": "05:34:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006999" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007002", "start_seconds": 20051.48, "clock": "05:34:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007002" } ] }, { "label": "Butuan and Lunocan disaster repacking centers", "text": "Emano asked when the Butuan City disaster repacking center would proceed. Secretary Gatchalian clarified that the plans were in place and DSWD was waiting for Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) clearance of the plans. Once that document arrived, DSWD could process a multiyear Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and begin construction; the center was not yet built. Emano also asked whether the Region 10 center in Lunocan, Bukidnon would continue, noting that the land was already in DSWD name and paperwork was complete. Gatchalian strongly supported more repacking centers, explaining that the Cebu center was already serving the Visayas, sometimes Bicol, and Mindanao, while another center was being built or planned in Caraga. He promised to add the Lunocan need to DSWD submission list and put it at the top. These were proposed funding needs and support for future construction, not completed facilities or approved appropriations.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007032", "start_seconds": 20111.34, "clock": "05:35:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007032" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007040", "start_seconds": 20127.66, "clock": "05:35:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007040" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007044", "start_seconds": 20134.6, "clock": "05:35:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007044" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007080", "start_seconds": 20207.28, "clock": "05:36:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007080" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007092", "start_seconds": 20231.48, "clock": "05:37:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007092" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007119", "start_seconds": 20285.28, "clock": "05:38:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007119" } ] }, { "label": "Hernandez supports increasing DSWD crisis-intervention funding for FY2027", "text": "Rep. Charisse Anne C. Hernandez expressed support for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) proposed budget, saying she would support an increase, particularly for its crisis-intervention programs in fiscal year 2027. She later reiterated support for raising the budget.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007198", "start_seconds": 20452.16, "clock": "05:40:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007198" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007337", "start_seconds": 20767.06, "clock": "05:46:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007337" } ] }, { "label": "Support for the DSWD budget and a possible increase", "text": "Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand L. Hernandez said he was present to voice support for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) budget and for a possible increase. He cited the department's performance and responsive deployment of resources. Secretary Rex Gatchalian thanked him.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007345", "start_seconds": 20798.32, "clock": "05:46:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007345" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007395", "start_seconds": 20990.31, "clock": "05:49:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007395" } ] }, { "label": "Cruzado supports additional DSWD funding if requested", "text": "Rep. Edwin Cruzado reiterated his support for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) budget and said he would support additional funding if the department asked for more. This was an unquantified expression of support, not a specific funding request or appropriation decision.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007431", "start_seconds": 21157.59, "clock": "05:52:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007431" } ] }, { "label": "DSWD workforce and regularization requests", "text": "Elago welcomed 5,000 plantilla items for social workers but said another 10,000 were still needed. Secretary Rex Gatchalian clarified that the earlier increase he had referred to applied to 4Ps social workers; DSWD also needed social and development workers in other clusters. He said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had helped regularize long-serving contract-of-service (COS) and contractual workers, that 5,000 positions had been provided in a large batch, and that the next 5,000 were being processed. Gatchalian gave DSWD's total workforce as 56,906, with 43% serving as COS personnel; this count excludes local-government employees, whom DSWD does not employ. Elago urged continued regularization and proposed a resolution examining the situation of local-government social and development workers. Gatchalian agreed to work with her office to provide requested data, including data on local social-welfare offices.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007501", "start_seconds": 24350.24, "clock": "06:45:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007501" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007511", "start_seconds": 24370.04, "clock": "06:46:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007511" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007538", "start_seconds": 24423.22, "clock": "06:47:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007538" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007576", "start_seconds": 24499.58, "clock": "06:48:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007576" } ] }, { "label": "Supplemental feeding transfers and requested regional breakdowns", "text": "Secretary Rex Gatchalian said that over the preceding four years, nearly 55% to 60% of the DSWD supplemental feeding program line-item funding had been downloaded directly to local government units (LGUs) to procure food. He said the Department encouraged LGUs to use the Sagip Saka law to buy directly from farmers, while DSWD nutritionists supplied menu and recipe guidance. Elago requested regional breakdowns for the supplemental feeding program, food-stamp program, and the newer program on reducing food insecurity and undernutrition; Gatchalian agreed to submit them to the committee.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007652", "start_seconds": 24651.68, "clock": "06:50:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007652" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007672", "start_seconds": 24691.64, "clock": "06:51:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007672" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007673", "start_seconds": 24693.62, "clock": "06:51:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007673" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007716", "start_seconds": 24781.04, "clock": "06:53:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007716" } ] }, { "label": "Special Committee on LGBTQIA+ Affairs operating support and funding request", "text": "Elago asked about funding for DSWD's Special Committee on LGBTQIA+ Affairs consultations. Undersecretary Ellen Pasion said the committee had no separate FY2026 NEP budget because her appointment came after the first budget hearing; she referred to her official allowance and annual operating funds but gave no amount. Secretary Gatchalian said the Department was carving out operating support from existing clusters where practicable, but that it was insufficient. Elago asked for a dedicated line item to support the committee's work and urged restoration of budget cuts and increased social-welfare funding. These were requests and expressions of support, not an adopted appropriation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007756", "start_seconds": 24863.38, "clock": "06:54:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007756" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007765", "start_seconds": 24880.46, "clock": "06:54:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007765" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007795", "start_seconds": 24940.18, "clock": "06:55:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007795" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007825", "start_seconds": 25000.36, "clock": "06:56:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007825" } ] }, { "label": "Silong family intervention pilot", "text": "Rep. Antonio L. Tinio asked about the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) Silong program for children and youth affected by substance use, including its budget and whether it would continue. Secretary Rex Gatchalian described it as a Social Technology Bureau pilot that uses social workers and family intervention rather than financial assistance alone. Its FY2026 pilot budget was PHP 900,000, increasing to PHP 8.6 million in the FY2027 proposal to serve more areas. Gatchalian said DSWD is a collaborating partner; the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) leads the program and has the larger funding provision. The amounts here are DSWD's program component, not the DDB total or DSWD-wide NEP/request comparison.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007864", "start_seconds": 25082.26, "clock": "06:58:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007864" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007868", "start_seconds": 25106.52, "clock": "06:58:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007868" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007892", "start_seconds": 25154.28, "clock": "06:59:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007892" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007896", "start_seconds": 25162.98, "clock": "06:59:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007896" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007897", "start_seconds": 25165.0, "clock": "06:59:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007897" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007909", "start_seconds": 25188.32, "clock": "06:59:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007909" } ] }, { "label": "Social pension coverage and proposed expansion", "text": "Tinio asked whether 550,000 indigent senior citizens identified through the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) were not receiving the PHP 1,000 monthly pension under Republic Act 11916. Gatchalian clarified that 550,000 was the group found in CBMS, while local government and Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) waitlists suggested a substantially larger group still needing validation. He said the senior population was about 11 million, but that figure is not an estimate that all 11 million qualify as indigent; the exchange corrected the current beneficiary count from an initial 5 million to 5.5 million estimate to 4.2 million. Tinio asked about additional FY2027 coverage and funding. Gatchalian said DSWD would revise its submission and seek an additional PHP 6.8 billion to cover more than double the group not yet served. Tinio supported proposing the amount as an institutional amendment.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007921", "start_seconds": 25221.02, "clock": "07:00:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007921" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007928", "start_seconds": 25248.4, "clock": "07:00:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007928" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007971", "start_seconds": 25374.92, "clock": "07:02:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007971" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007977", "start_seconds": 25391.1, "clock": "07:03:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007977" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007958", "start_seconds": 25330.92, "clock": "07:02:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007958" } ] }, { "label": "Albano backs DSWD and offers to support additional funding", "text": "Rep. Antonio \"Tonypet\" T. Albano expressed full support for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). He said that if DSWD needed additional funding to help people in need, he would support and advocate for its budget. This was an unquantified expression of support, not a formal increase request or an appropriation decision. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian thanked him.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008122", "start_seconds": 25869.95, "clock": "07:11:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008122" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008123", "start_seconds": 25879.0, "clock": "07:11:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008123" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008124", "start_seconds": 25904.85, "clock": "07:11:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008124" } ] }, { "label": "LGBTQI office national-scope FY2027 request", "text": "Undersecretary Ellen Pasion said DSWD had housed the LGBTQI office and provided its Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and administrative support under Executive Order 51. She said the office missed the initial budget hearing because she was appointed on September 29 of the prior year and had limited staff, and that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) did not allow a later hearing. Pasion requested PHP 35 million for FY2027 for the office's national-scope policy work. Magsaysay voiced support for considering the request; no approval is recorded.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008337", "start_seconds": 27090.38, "clock": "07:31:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008337" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008354", "start_seconds": 27172.76, "clock": "07:32:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008354" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008358", "start_seconds": 27192.68, "clock": "07:33:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008358" } ] }, { "label": "AICS plantilla positions pending DBM approval", "text": "Committee Chair Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing renewed her request to regularize long-serving field personnel. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said 584 regular positions for Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) were forthcoming and that longstanding, deserving employees should be prioritized. Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Director IV Benjieleth M. Zuñiga clarified that the DBM secretary still needed to approve the positions and had raised a question with a bureau; Gatchalian said he would follow up. He separately reported that 8,463 DSWD plantilla positions had been released for fiscal year 2026, more than 5,000 of them for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps). The 584 AICS positions therefore remained pending approval, rather than already released.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008405", "start_seconds": 27378.65, "clock": "07:36:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008405" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008409", "start_seconds": 27396.17, "clock": "07:36:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008409" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008455", "start_seconds": 27529.21, "clock": "07:38:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008455" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008459", "start_seconds": 27544.31, "clock": "07:39:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008459" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008464", "start_seconds": 27566.83, "clock": "07:39:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008464" } ] }, { "label": "Supplementary feeding allocation, days, and per-meal assumptions", "text": "Responding to the civil-society network ENET, Suansing said the DSWD Supplementary Feeding Program fell from PHP 9.564 billion in the FY2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to PHP 6.359 billion in the FY2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), while the target remained 1,899,415 children in Child Development Centers and Supervised Neighborhood Play groups. ENET described the reduction as roughly PHP 3.2 billion and asked how the target would be maintained. Gatchalian attributed the lower allocation to returning from 180 feeding days, which had been synchronized with the Department of Education (DepEd), to 120 days while retaining the same beneficiary count; he said Congress could consider restoring 180 days, and Suansing said the committee would consider it subject to limited fiscal space. Gatchalian stated the meal cap was PHP 25, up from PHP 18, and milk for undernourished children cost PHP 22 from the Philippine Carabao Center. He said DSWD would not pass the program cost to parents; funds are downloaded to some local government units (LGUs) for local procurement, and some LGUs choose to augment quantities or unit costs.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008499", "start_seconds": 27721.27, "clock": "07:42:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008499" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008500", "start_seconds": 27729.65, "clock": "07:42:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008500" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008503", "start_seconds": 27749.91, "clock": "07:42:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008503" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008509", "start_seconds": 27764.89, "clock": "07:42:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008509" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008529", "start_seconds": 27830.39, "clock": "07:43:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008529" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008531", "start_seconds": 27836.69, "clock": "07:43:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008531" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008533", "start_seconds": 27841.23, "clock": "07:44:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008533" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008538", "start_seconds": 27861.67, "clock": "07:44:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008538" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008564", "start_seconds": 27926.46, "clock": "07:45:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008564" } ] }, { "label": "QRF restoration to the FY2026 level", "text": "Suansing supported restoring the DSWD Quick Response Fund (QRF) to its FY2026 level of PHP 3 billion and said she would advocate for it during the committee's budget-amendment deliberations; no disposition is recorded. Gatchalian said disasters were affecting multiple regions at once and that the PHP 1.2 billion available for food, logistics, and emergency cash transfers was insufficient. He said a PHP 3 billion fund could be stretched while DSWD awaited the Department of Budget and Management release, which typically took three to five days.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008792", "start_seconds": 28714.16, "clock": "07:58:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008792" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008800", "start_seconds": 28740.96, "clock": "07:59:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008800" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008803", "start_seconds": 28746.96, "clock": "07:59:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008803" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008809", "start_seconds": 28767.76, "clock": "07:59:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008809" } ] }, { "label": "Additional social pension funding", "text": "Suansing identified PHP 6.8 billion for indigent senior citizens' social pension as additional to the amount already in the FY2027 NEP and asked how it compared with the FY2026 GAA. Gatchalian described the GAA as very close to, and slightly above, the NEP level; he associated the difference with around 300,000 additional beneficiaries. Suansing said the committee would take the request into consideration.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008816", "start_seconds": 28787.76, "clock": "07:59:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008816" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008818", "start_seconds": 28795.56, "clock": "07:59:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008818" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008822", "start_seconds": 28820.12, "clock": "08:00:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008822" } ] }, { "label": "SLP funding request for consideration", "text": "Suansing said the PHP 1 billion Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) request raised earlier that day would also be considered. She noted that the Secretary had described beneficiaries who might lose access if the request were not funded. No decision on the request is recorded in this exchange.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008824", "start_seconds": 28834.2, "clock": "08:00:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008824" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008826", "start_seconds": 28848.52, "clock": "08:00:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008826" } ] }, { "label": "AICS additional request and current-year utilization", "text": "Suansing raised a PHP 43.1 billion additional request for AICS against a PHP 33 billion FY2027 NEP amount. Gatchalian distinguished a PHP 30 billion shortfall against the FY2026 GAA from a PHP 48 billion figure that included unexpected energy-emergency use; he cited a separate FY2025 allotment of PHP 44 billion plus PHP 14 billion from unprogrammed appropriations. For FY2026, Suansing cited a PHP 63.4 billion GAA allocation that was 70% utilized. Gatchalian said roughly PHP 9 billion to PHP 10 billion had been drawn from existing AICS resources for energy-emergency transport assistance. He also described that first transport-assistance round as PHP 10 billion; the aid was within the FY2026 allocation, rather than an additional allocation. DSWD was seeking DBM augmentation for the remaining months, but Gatchalian described the mechanism as still being arranged. He estimated full-year FY2026 needs at approximately PHP 70 billion to PHP 75 billion, while noting the year and emergency demands were ongoing. Gatchalian projected that retaining the FY2027 level would leave 4,085,631 people unserved. Suansing requested the remaining three or four proposed items by the next day; Gatchalian committed to furnishing them that night.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008828", "start_seconds": 28856.4, "clock": "08:00:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008828" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008830", "start_seconds": 28871.76, "clock": "08:01:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008830" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008831", "start_seconds": 28878.88, "clock": "08:01:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008831" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008839", "start_seconds": 28938.56, "clock": "08:02:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008839" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008840", "start_seconds": 28946.4, "clock": "08:02:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008840" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008841", "start_seconds": 28953.92, "clock": "08:02:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008841" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008844", "start_seconds": 28977.04, "clock": "08:02:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008844" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008845", "start_seconds": 28982.96, "clock": "08:03:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008845" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008849", "start_seconds": 29006.4, "clock": "08:03:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008849" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008853", "start_seconds": 29033.96, "clock": "08:03:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008853" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008855-split-2", "start_seconds": 29047.878, "clock": "08:04:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008855-split-2" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008859", "start_seconds": 29063.94, "clock": "08:04:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008859" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008860-split-2", "start_seconds": 29120.16, "clock": "08:05:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008860-split-2" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008861", "start_seconds": 29123.88, "clock": "08:05:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008861" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008864", "start_seconds": 29153.88, "clock": "08:05:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008864" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008867", "start_seconds": 29184.88, "clock": "08:06:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008867" } ] }, { "label": "Home for the Aged capacity and private-care referrals", "text": "Representative Milagros \"Mila\" Aquino-Magsaysay asked for additional funding to expand Home for the Aged capacity or arrange care through private homes, noting that DSWD had four Homes for the Aged and that abandoned and homeless senior citizens needed places to go. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said that, with her help, the Department began a public-private-partnership-style modality the prior year: refer clients to accredited private providers and use the cost-of-care provision. He said the arrangement operates within DSWD's existing resources and would continue in FY2027. Magsaysay's additional-funding request was unquantified; Gatchalian described continuation of an existing-resource modality, not a new appropriation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008877", "start_seconds": 29225.64, "clock": "08:07:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008877" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008880", "start_seconds": 29273.22, "clock": "08:07:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008880" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008885", "start_seconds": 29314.44, "clock": "08:08:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008885" } ] } ] }, { "key": "budget-council-for-the-welfare-of-children-cwc", "label": "Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) budget", "items": [ { "label": "CWC budget cuts and affected services", "text": "For FY2027, the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) reduction was about PHP 60 million-plus, according to Executive Director Angelo M. Tapales, with more than half related to information and communications technology (ICT) and digitalization for its management-information support unit. Representative Sarah Jane I. Elago asked why CWC and the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) had budget cuts and which programs were affected. He said the remaining reductions affected operations and division work, including support for regional staff, local government unit (LGU) capacity building and technical assistance, the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit, and awards for child-friendly municipalities and cities. Tapales said the cut brought CWC practically back to 2023 levels.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007450", "start_seconds": 24026.67, "clock": "06:40:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007450" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007456", "start_seconds": 24091.78, "clock": "06:41:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007456" } ] }, { "label": "ICT procurement, utilization, and system coordination", "text": "Elago asked for the Department of Budget and Management's (DBM) explanation of ICT cuts across agencies. Gatchalian offered his understanding from DSWD's procurement experience and referred to reductions during the last bicameral conference. He described difficult procurement and underutilization when market-scan prices failed, and said he understood that the national government, through the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), was streamlining ICT spending and prioritizing items such as subscriptions, cybersecurity firewalls, and email subscriptions. Elago said agencies should coordinate on unified systems and shared subscription and license costs so funds could be used elsewhere.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007577", "start_seconds": 24501.18, "clock": "06:48:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007577" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007586", "start_seconds": 24519.9, "clock": "06:48:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007586" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007603", "start_seconds": 24553.58, "clock": "06:49:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007603" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007625", "start_seconds": 24597.52, "clock": "06:49:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007625" } ] } ] }, { "key": "budget-national-council-on-disability-affairs-ncda", "label": "National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) budget", "items": [ { "label": "NCDA allocation, disability support, and restoration request", "text": "The National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) had a PHP 187 million FY2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) allocation, according to Rep. Percival \"Perci\" Cendaña. He contrasted it with the lower FY2027 proposal and cited NCDA’s report of 2.8 million registered Filipinos with disabilities. He characterized the NEP amount as about PHP 32 per registered person and asked why NCDA’s budget had fallen so sharply. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said he wanted NCDA’s lost funding restored, while explaining that the cut was nonrecurring capital outlay for information-technology equipment for local government units’ disability affairs offices. He said DSWD’s own assistance and programs, including Project Aruga, also serve people with disabilities and promised the committee a disaggregated account of DSWD spending for them. NCDA Executive Director Glenda D. Relova said the reductions included PHP 82,145,000 in capital outlay and PHP 15,781,000 in maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE). She explained that the MOOE supported developing and maintaining NCDA information systems, including disability data and disaster-risk systems. Cendaña said the systems support evidence-based planning and stated that Akbayan would move to restore NCDA’s budget at least to its FY2026 level. Gatchalian welcomed the proposed restoration. This was an announced restoration proposal, welcomed by Gatchalian.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000648", "start_seconds": 2792.36, "clock": "00:46:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000648" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000650", "start_seconds": 2805.36, "clock": "00:46:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000650" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000655", "start_seconds": 2828.36, "clock": "00:47:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000655" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000660", "start_seconds": 2845.36, "clock": "00:47:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000660" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000711", "start_seconds": 2999.77, "clock": "00:49:59", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000711" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000712", "start_seconds": 3006.77, "clock": "00:50:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000712" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000714", "start_seconds": 3009.77, "clock": "00:50:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000714" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000715", "start_seconds": 3013.77, "clock": "00:50:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000715" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000745", "start_seconds": 3093.77, "clock": "00:51:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000745" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000748", "start_seconds": 3098.77, "clock": "00:51:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000748" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000789", "start_seconds": 3168.77, "clock": "00:52:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000789" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000704", "start_seconds": 2974.36, "clock": "00:49:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000704" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000708", "start_seconds": 2987.77, "clock": "00:49:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000708" } ] }, { "label": "NCDA FSL interpreter funding and three-year provision list", "text": "Rep. Elijah Rumbaoa San Fernando asked what the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had obligated for Filipino Sign Language (FSL) interpretation in fiscal year 2026 and what it would provide in fiscal year 2027. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian referred the funding question to the attached National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA). NCDA Executive Director Glenda D. Relova said NCDA funding for interpreters comes through augmentation, usually from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), and is small; provision is made as needs arise from requests. She did not give FY2026 or FY2027 amounts. In response to San Fernando's request for supporting data, Relova promised a list of NCDA interpreter provisions over the preceding three years.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006755", "start_seconds": 19378.72, "clock": "05:22:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006755" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006770", "start_seconds": 19407.38, "clock": "05:23:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006770" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006794", "start_seconds": 19454.26, "clock": "05:24:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006794" } ] } ] }, { "key": "budget-juvenile-justice-and-welfare-council-jjwc", "label": "Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) budget", "items": [ { "label": "JJWC ICT reduction and request to restore tracking systems", "text": "For FY2027, PHP 6.289 million was cut from JJWC's proposed ICT requirements, according to Executive Director Tricia Claire Oco, including subscriptions and salaries for some contract-of-service (COS) personnel working on its management information system. She asked that the reduction be restored so the nationwide system could track children at risk and children in conflict with the law and support longitudinal study of behavior patterns, particularly among children in conflict with the law. No disposition of the restoration request is recorded in this exchange.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007461", "start_seconds": 24139.98, "clock": "06:42:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007461" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007462", "start_seconds": 24151.84, "clock": "06:42:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007462" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007466", "start_seconds": 24196.22, "clock": "06:43:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007466" } ] } ] }, { "key": "budget-national-authority-for-child-care-nacc", "label": "National Authority for Child Care (NACC) budget", "items": [ { "label": "NACC regional adoption social-worker staffing request", "text": "The FY2027 NEP provided PHP 13 million for additional National Authority for Child Care (NACC) social workers in the regions, according to Undersecretary Maria Gabriela Concepcion. She said basic compensation for 42 regional adoption social workers totaled PHP 21 million, excluding travel and lodging. When Rufus Rodriguez asked for the amount including those deployment costs, Concepcion said the full request was PHP 51 million. She then said NACC wanted at least PHP 20 million just for the regional adoption social workers. The unit does not reconcile that PHP 20 million minimum with either the PHP 13 million NEP line or the PHP 51 million request including travel and lodging, so these figures are not added together. Rodriguez asked whether the item was on the secretary's list; Concepcion said she would add it if it was not already included. Rodriguez asked that the PHP 20 million item be included in the list.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005535", "start_seconds": 15966.35, "clock": "04:26:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005535" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005537", "start_seconds": 15970.17, "clock": "04:26:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005537" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005538", "start_seconds": 15972.23, "clock": "04:26:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005538" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005548", "start_seconds": 15990.93, "clock": "04:26:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005548" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005552", "start_seconds": 15998.73, "clock": "04:26:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005552" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005553", "start_seconds": 16003.31, "clock": "04:26:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005553" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005556", "start_seconds": 16008.27, "clock": "04:26:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005556" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005558", "start_seconds": 16013.09, "clock": "04:26:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005558" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005578", "start_seconds": 16053.29, "clock": "04:27:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005578" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005581", "start_seconds": 16057.37, "clock": "04:27:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005581" } ] }, { "label": "NACC increase for plantilla and request to cover social workers", "text": "Elago noted a rise of more than PHP 200 million in the National Authority for Child Care (NACC) budget for the next year. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian and NACC Undersecretary Maria Gabriela Concepcion said the increase was for additional plantilla positions granted to NACC, not for expansion of project administration or regional-office capacity building. Concepcion said the NEP funding was still insufficient to pay social workers already employed and asked for additional funds, alongside a broader wish list; she named no amount for that request. No disposition is recorded here.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007469", "start_seconds": 24219.24, "clock": "06:43:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007469" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007470", "start_seconds": 24227.86, "clock": "06:43:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007470" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007481", "start_seconds": 24309.96, "clock": "06:45:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007481" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007487", "start_seconds": 24322.12, "clock": "06:45:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007487" } ] } ] }, { "key": "budget-national-commission-of-senior-citizens-ncsc", "label": "National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) budget", "items": [ { "label": "Ordanes seeks priority for NCSC requirements", "text": "For FY2027, National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) co-sponsor Rep. Rodolfo \"Ompong\" M. Ordanes sought PHP 48 million for digitalization, PHP 28.8 million for 16 multipurpose vehicles for regional offices, and PHP 21.753 million for professional security services at central and regional offices. Ordanes asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to give these requirements high consideration. He connected digitalization to secure senior-citizen data and implementation of the Expanded Centenarian Act, including 2024 grantees who he said had not been budgeted and were still being paid in 2026 from the 2025 budget; he said vehicles would support nationwide field validation, monitoring and implementation, including geographically isolated areas, while security funding would protect people, property, records, data and public funds. He described these as necessary investments in the NCSC’s capacity and requested priority in the FY2027 budget, especially for implementation of Republic Act No. 11982 and support for 2024 grantees. The amounts are Ordanes’s specified requirements in this co-sponsor appeal; the unit does not identify them as the NCSC’s original DBM submission or record an allocation or disposition.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000052", "start_seconds": 413.07, "clock": "00:06:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000052" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000058", "start_seconds": 459.49, "clock": "00:07:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000058" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000080", "start_seconds": 500.41, "clock": "00:08:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000080" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000081", "start_seconds": 502.61, "clock": "00:08:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000081" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000118", "start_seconds": 575.95, "clock": "00:09:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000118" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000123", "start_seconds": 587.02, "clock": "00:09:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000123" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000132", "start_seconds": 608.04, "clock": "00:10:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000132" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000133", "start_seconds": 610.06, "clock": "00:10:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000133" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000135", "start_seconds": 613.92, "clock": "00:10:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000135" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000155", "start_seconds": 656.48, "clock": "00:10:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000155" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000156", "start_seconds": 659.14, "clock": "00:10:59", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000156" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000158", "start_seconds": 663.38, "clock": "00:11:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000158" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000193", "start_seconds": 731.92, "clock": "00:12:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000193" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000122", "start_seconds": 585.74, "clock": "00:09:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000122" } ] }, { "label": "Expanded Centenarians Act cash gifts and funding", "text": "Tinio asked about the Expanded Centenarians Act gifts of PHP 10,000 at ages 80, 85, 90 and 95, and PHP 100,000 at age 100, and raised concerns about processing delays. NCSC Acting Executive Director Ana Marie C. Calapit reported 179,000 seniors served by August 2026 against a 299,000 FY2026 target based on a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) projection. She said the FY2026 budget was PHP 3.2 billion. She said the FY2027 target was 303,000 seniors. Because applications were already approaching 200,000 and might exceed the projection, NCSC said it could request Department of Budget and Management (DBM) augmentation only after applications exceeded the target; this was a conditional request path, not guaranteed additional funding. Calapit said gifts were distributed quarterly because of budget constraints, and that applicants could wait as long as three months between application opportunities.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007987", "start_seconds": 25417.1, "clock": "07:03:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007987" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008006", "start_seconds": 25477.88, "clock": "07:04:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008006" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008026", "start_seconds": 25533.13, "clock": "07:05:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008026" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008039", "start_seconds": 25564.03, "clock": "07:06:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008039" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008074", "start_seconds": 25656.93, "clock": "07:07:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008074" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008084", "start_seconds": 25681.59, "clock": "07:08:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008084" } ] }, { "label": "NCSC operating requests and program components", "text": "The National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) operations request was PHP 498 million against PHP 314 million provided, a stated PHP 184 million gap, according to Rep. Milagros \"Mila\" Aquino-Magsaysay. This comparison covers operations rather than the whole-agency NEP. She also sought more staff and job-order workers, suggesting two per province. For ATOP, she said the program had a PHP 7.5 million budget when housed in the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and that NCSC requested PHP 17 million but received PHP 3.3 million. She said NCSC requested PHP 48 million for digitalization and received zero, and requested PHP 54 million for senior livelihood but received PHP 4 million. She also said PHP 111.3 million in capital outlay was requested for vehicles, fuel and security, with zero provided. NCSC Acting Executive Director Ana Marie C. Calapit later described PHP 111 million for transport and more than PHP 20 million for security; the source does not clarify how those figures map onto the PHP 111.3 million capital-outlay request, so they are not added to it. Magsaysay separately said the Negros Island Region lacked a budget and included its needs in the NCSC request. No approval of these requests is recorded.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008170", "start_seconds": 26186.02, "clock": "07:16:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008170" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008180", "start_seconds": 26232.62, "clock": "07:17:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008180" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008184", "start_seconds": 26260.3, "clock": "07:17:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008184" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008185", "start_seconds": 26263.02, "clock": "07:17:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008185" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008189", "start_seconds": 26287.08, "clock": "07:18:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008189" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008190", "start_seconds": 26297.46, "clock": "07:18:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008190" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008198", "start_seconds": 26348.16, "clock": "07:19:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008198" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008199", "start_seconds": 26350.76, "clock": "07:19:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008199" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008215", "start_seconds": 26437.46, "clock": "07:20:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008215" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008216", "start_seconds": 26445.6, "clock": "07:20:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008216" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008222", "start_seconds": 26483.08, "clock": "07:21:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008222" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008225", "start_seconds": 26495.06, "clock": "07:21:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008225" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008226", "start_seconds": 26501.92, "clock": "07:21:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008226" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008228", "start_seconds": 26507.88, "clock": "07:21:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008228" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008262", "start_seconds": 26698.88, "clock": "07:24:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008262" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008323", "start_seconds": 26994.67, "clock": "07:29:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008323" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008324", "start_seconds": 27000.0, "clock": "07:30:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008324" } ] } ] }, { "key": "budget-philippine-statistics-authority-psa", "label": "Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) budget", "items": [ { "label": "PSA support for reliable social-protection data", "text": "Abalos raised reports of inaccurate CBMS data and delayed records leading to beneficiaries being excluded or misidentified in social-protection programs. He asked whether DSWD needed additional funding to strengthen cross-matching and validation. Gatchalian welcomed additional resources in principle but said he would prefer that funding go to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which supplies the data. He said PSA was also responsible for national ID work and lacked personnel to do both tasks on schedule, and offered to champion added staff, equipment, and satellite offices for PSA so residents would not need to travel far to register or obtain national IDs.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003020", "start_seconds": 8024.34, "clock": "02:13:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003020" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003031", "start_seconds": 8035.74, "clock": "02:13:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003031" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003038", "start_seconds": 8042.16, "clock": "02:14:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003038" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003083", "start_seconds": 8089.12, "clock": "02:14:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003083" } ] } ] }, { "key": "agency-agency-presentation", "label": "Agency presentation", "items": [ { "label": "People-centered services and implementation", "text": "DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian framed DSWD's work around human-capital development, community-driven development and sustained disaster response. He described Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations as both emergency aid and a tool for shock-responsive social protection. During the national energy emergency, DSWD used group-based validation to deliver cash relief to transport workers; the Uplift program then shifted toward household support, using Community-Based Monitoring System data to reach existing beneficiaries and newly vulnerable households. Gatchalian said 5.75 million households had received Uplift assistance. The presentation reported that 96% of transport workers found the ₱5,000 grant operationally crucial and 80% used it for household food expenses. 4Ps was described as a human-capital program combining health, education and family-development conditions. Gatchalian cited reported graduation, education and external evaluation results, while describing system changes intended to speed grant payment, improve targeting through poverty data and support household exits toward self-sufficiency. These outcomes were reported by DSWD and its cited studies.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000322", "start_seconds": 1314.8600000000001, "clock": "00:21:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000322" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000333", "start_seconds": 1385.18, "clock": "00:23:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000333" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000337", "start_seconds": 1404.06, "clock": "00:23:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000337" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000338", "start_seconds": 1413.42, "clock": "00:23:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000338" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000348", "start_seconds": 1462.48, "clock": "00:24:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000348" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000349", "start_seconds": 1463.56, "clock": "00:24:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000349" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000350", "start_seconds": 1465.2, "clock": "00:24:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000350" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000365", "start_seconds": 1549.78, "clock": "00:25:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000365" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000382", "start_seconds": 1629.38, "clock": "00:27:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000382" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000396", "start_seconds": 1714.98, "clock": "00:28:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000396" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000406", "start_seconds": 1765.3, "clock": "00:29:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000406" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000416", "start_seconds": 1819.24, "clock": "00:30:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000416" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000421", "start_seconds": 1844.32, "clock": "00:30:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000421" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000429", "start_seconds": 1882.28, "clock": "00:31:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000429" } ] }, { "label": "Disaster readiness, senior services and livelihood pathways", "text": "Gatchalian said the Quick Response Fund lets DSWD respond before, during and after emergencies. He described pre-positioned relief supplies, warehouses, food-box production and emergency cash transfers as parts of that readiness. For social pension, DSWD said it had simplified eligibility around proof of age, used government data to identify eligible older people, and added an on-demand route for people aged 70 and above who were missed by the standard data process, subject to civil-registry and pension checks. He appealed for support to cover an estimated 550,000 older people who remained unserved. The Sustainable Livelihood Program had shifted from one-off assistance toward longer-term enterprise plans, market links and online selling, with the Pagsibol approach intended to support viable businesses. Residential and center-based services serve people requiring sustained care; DSWD said it was upgrading facilities and working with accredited private providers through cost-of-care subsidies. The source reports 77 DSWD facilities; it says 11 were established at least 50 years ago and another 35 were 30 to 49 years old.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000432", "start_seconds": 1897.36, "clock": "00:31:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000432" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000461", "start_seconds": 2025.3, "clock": "00:33:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000461" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000471", "start_seconds": 2061.58, "clock": "00:34:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000471" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000478", "start_seconds": 2104.58, "clock": "00:35:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000478" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000483", "start_seconds": 2128.66, "clock": "00:35:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000483" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000499", "start_seconds": 2231.7, "clock": "00:37:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000499" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000523", "start_seconds": 2340.2799999999997, "clock": "00:39:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000523" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000525", "start_seconds": 2349.94, "clock": "00:39:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000525" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000526", "start_seconds": 2353.62, "clock": "00:39:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000526" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000530", "start_seconds": 2362.0, "clock": "00:39:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000530" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000534", "start_seconds": 2376.92, "clock": "00:39:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000534" } ] }, { "label": "Flagship programs and emerging needs", "text": "The Walang Gutom Program provides targeted food assistance to households facing food insecurity. Tarabasa pairs tutoring for children with paid youth work and participation by parents or guardians; Gatchalian proposed renaming it the Tarabasa Cash for Work Program to clarify that mechanism. Pag-Abot connects children, individuals and families in street situations with social protection services; its Walang Gutom Kitchen component provides immediate food while linking clients to other services. DSWD also cited Project Aruga, ProtecTEEN and Project SAFE for victims of online sexual abuse and exploitation of children as responses to emerging vulnerabilities. The presentation described these initiatives as part of a broader effort to make assistance responsive to changing needs and support more sustainable, dignified lives.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000548", "start_seconds": 2439.6, "clock": "00:40:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000548" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000563", "start_seconds": 2483.52, "clock": "00:41:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000563" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000573", "start_seconds": 2507.44, "clock": "00:41:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000573" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000591", "start_seconds": 2550.96, "clock": "00:42:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000591" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000597", "start_seconds": 2566.14, "clock": "00:42:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000597" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000612", "start_seconds": 2620.84, "clock": "00:43:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000612" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000613", "start_seconds": 2626.58, "clock": "00:43:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000613" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000614", "start_seconds": 2631.58, "clock": "00:43:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000614" } ] } ] }, { "key": "opening-opening-budget-context", "label": "Opening budget context", "items": [ { "label": "DSWD’s lower proposed allocation and mandate", "text": "Rep. JC Rahman A. Nava, M.D., presiding, welcomed Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian and the department's attached and supervised agencies. Nava noted that DSWD's Fiscal Year 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) level was lower than its Fiscal Year 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) level and asked how the reduction would affect the department's programs, projects, and delivery of its social protection and social development mandate.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000043", "start_seconds": 306.44, "clock": "00:05:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000043" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000046", "start_seconds": 349.32, "clock": "00:05:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000046" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000048", "start_seconds": 375.65, "clock": "00:06:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-000048" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-julienne-jam-l-baronda", "label": "Rep. Julienne \"Jam\" L. Baronda", "items": [ { "label": "Uplift reach, benefits and gaps", "text": "Rep. Julienne \"Jam\" L. Baronda asked Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian for the country’s total Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) beneficiary count and the number served by Uplift. Gatchalian said DSWD did not have the full CBMS count because the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) restricted its data access; DSWD received poor and near-poor figures. He cited 2,546,846 households classified as poor in the 2024 data, with near-poor households counted above that threshold. For Uplift, he described three groups and said overall service stood at about 5.5–5.7 million of a 7.5 million target. The first group was Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) households: after initially describing roughly three million, he said 3.5 million households received a one-time PHP 2,000 top-up. The second group was poor non-4Ps households, with a 2.5 million target and 1.7 million served PHP 2,000 monthly from July through December. The third group was low-wage earners identified from Social Security System (SSS) records, outside the poor and near-poor categories: of about 1.5 million, DSWD had served 811,000. He attributed gaps to manual validation finding people no longer at listed addresses or no longer eligible, and to closed or dormant accounts in the automated SSS-based payout.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001204", "start_seconds": 3635.57, "clock": "01:00:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001204" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001207", "start_seconds": 3655.65, "clock": "01:00:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001207" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001216-split-3", "start_seconds": 3726.59, "clock": "01:02:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001216-split-3" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001219", "start_seconds": 3747.22, "clock": "01:02:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001219" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001236", "start_seconds": 3817.26, "clock": "01:03:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001236" } ] }, { "label": "CBMS targeting and manual verification", "text": "Baronda said figures from PSA and DSWD differed in her district and described a 27% difference in Iloilo City. Recalling that a 2019 Listahanan survey was left unfinished after the COVID-19 lockdown, she said her office listed 230 people for the DSWD Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), while DSWD later found 157 of 223 checked applicants eligible; she asked whether safety nets could account for outdated lists. Gatchalian said Listahanan had ended under the CBMS law, PSA supplies the CBMS targeting list, and DSWD implements assistance and validates the list in the field. He acknowledged substantial CBMS inclusion and exclusion errors: he first gave a general 20–30% range and later estimated the current problem at close to 40%, citing Uplift uptake of 55–60%. He said the 2024 survey was being used in 2026 and some households’ circumstances had changed. He said PSA and the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev), which he also called NEDA in the exchange, had promised to tighten the next CBMS round, and that local government units (LGUs) would work with PSA. He defended manual checks as necessary to direct public funds to eligible recipients and said DSWD had also changed SLP’s process to use field validation rather than rely on Listahanan alone.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001237", "start_seconds": 3827.3, "clock": "01:03:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001237" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001283", "start_seconds": 3987.2799999999997, "clock": "01:06:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001283" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001356", "start_seconds": 4257.6, "clock": "01:10:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001356" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001368", "start_seconds": 4295.6, "clock": "01:11:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001368" } ] }, { "label": "AICS payout allegations and accountability", "text": "Before ending, Baronda played a short video about complaints in Iloilo City that intermediaries were taking part of Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) payouts. The video alleged that, from PHP 10,000 in assistance, recipients were pressed to surrender PHP 8,000–9,000, and called for public disclosure of names, barangays, deductions and the legal team’s findings. After the video, Baronda thanked Secretary Gatchalian for heeding their call and said he had filed a case and that she had been informed some officials had been removed by the Ombudsman; she said they were awaiting the final list. These were allegations in the video and Baronda’s account of subsequent action; the unit records no specific case findings or final list.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001374", "start_seconds": 4316.6, "clock": "01:11:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001374" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001377", "start_seconds": 4336.29, "clock": "01:12:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001377" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001378", "start_seconds": 4339.29, "clock": "01:12:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001378" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001380", "start_seconds": 4351.29, "clock": "01:12:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001380" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001391", "start_seconds": 4415.08, "clock": "01:13:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001391" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001393", "start_seconds": 4428.08, "clock": "01:13:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001393" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-dadah-kiram-ismula", "label": "Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula", "items": [ { "label": "Uplift reach, driver lists and informal workers", "text": "Representative Dadah Kiram Ismula asked why jeepney drivers, market vendors and other informal workers had been left off Uplift payout lists during the economic crisis. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said government had no driver database and DSWD had relied on incomplete lists from agencies and local governments. Driver relationships change quickly, and lists for app-based and delivery workers also missed people omitted from platform lists despite operating above permitted limits. DSWD worked through organized groups to validate names and furnished the Department of Transportation (DOTr) with what Gatchalian called the country's first driver list, excluding non-motorized modes. He said the work grew from an initial estimate of 800,000 to 1.8 million drivers, and cited a survey in which most respondents said they were covered and appreciated the assistance; he apologized to those still missed. Ismula then asked who identifies vendors and whether payouts were continuing. Gatchalian said vendor work is fluid and that DSWD relies on poverty and near-poverty data in the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS), while noting that people may have moved since enumeration. He reported that about 5.5–5.7 million of a 7.5 million target had been reached, with the balance still being located. Asked about Ismula's proposed registry bill for informal-economy workers, Gatchalian said he supported a registry but preferred integrating indicators into CBMS rather than creating a standalone database; he also said he had discussed linking the national ID with CBMS with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The current Uplift criteria also sought low-wage earners affiliated with the Social Security System (SSS) whose monthly service credits were ₱20,000 or less.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001418", "start_seconds": 4540.48, "clock": "01:15:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001418" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001422", "start_seconds": 4586.94, "clock": "01:16:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001422" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001512", "start_seconds": 4780.44, "clock": "01:19:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001512" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001513", "start_seconds": 4782.02, "clock": "01:19:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001513" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001537", "start_seconds": 4829.86, "clock": "01:20:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001537" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001543", "start_seconds": 4843.12, "clock": "01:20:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001543" } ] }, { "label": "Center capacity and private cost-of-care referrals", "text": "Ismula asked how many Regional Women's Centers were operating and whether they were functional, noting that DSWD managed centers and residential care facilities across sectors. Gatchalian counted 14 DSWD-managed centers of that nature, 45 managed by local governments and 54 private centers, describing the network as more than 100. He said DSWD checks standards and accreditation, and explained that building more facilities is costly under tight fiscal space. The cost-of-care arrangement allows clients to be referred to accredited private SWDAs when public facilities are crowded; he confirmed that private providers need registration, a license to operate and accreditation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001579", "start_seconds": 4914.3, "clock": "01:21:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001579" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001593", "start_seconds": 4941.28, "clock": "01:22:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001593" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001630", "start_seconds": 5016.94, "clock": "01:23:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001630" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001634", "start_seconds": 5025.1, "clock": "01:23:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001634" } ] }, { "label": "Social worker workload and regularization", "text": "Ismula asked what DSWD was doing to prevent social-worker burnout and how many clients a worker handled. Gatchalian said DSWD would refer more clients to accredited private SWDAs to ease caseloads and described caregiver-support modules developed with an interdisciplinary team. He said workloads vary by sector: in 4Ps, the case-manager ratio had moved from about 800 to 500 and then 200; case managers working with ex-combatants handled about 150 to 200. As city and municipal links were regularized or moved through regularization, he said the 4Ps ratio had fallen to about 200 to 300. When Ismula asked about long-serving contract workers, Gatchalian said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had granted 5,000 new regular positions for 4Ps as the first group of a 15,000-person workforce, with a further 5,000-person commitment until all are regularized. He clarified that eligible social workers outside the 4Ps cluster could also apply under civil-service rules. He mentioned a few regular posts for disaster response and innovation teams and hoped additional Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) positions would follow. Asked whether regularization was continuing, he confirmed it was and said preparation was under way for the next group of 5,000; those future positions were a commitment, not already granted positions.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001689", "start_seconds": 5175.41, "clock": "01:26:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001689" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001700", "start_seconds": 5199.15, "clock": "01:26:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001700" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001738", "start_seconds": 5274.37, "clock": "01:27:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001738" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001740", "start_seconds": 5278.47, "clock": "01:27:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001740" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001762", "start_seconds": 5323.01, "clock": "01:28:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001762" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001781", "start_seconds": 5359.65, "clock": "01:29:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001781" } ] }, { "label": "WeSupport and longer-term youth psychosocial care", "text": "Ismula asked how many people used DSWD's Wireless Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (WeSupport) platform in the prior year, its age breakdown and the support available to young people. Gatchalian reported 681 beneficiaries and said DSWD had pivoted toward Tara Usap, a peer-support pilot in colleges and universities with psychology-school partners at Ateneo and the University of the Philippines. The pilot establishes school safe spaces and prepares peer counselors with clear limits and referral pathways. Asked how DSWD would monitor changes in stress, anxiety and depression, Gatchalian said monitoring was part of the pilot design and promised to report to the committee after the pilot. In response to Ismula's question about long-term support after school shootings, he described a family-centered approach: updated 4Ps Family Development Sessions with digital literacy and digital parenting topics, rollout of the Parent Effectiveness Law with Educhild, and trauma-informed post-incident care developed with the academe. Ismula closed by urging stronger, accessible preventive mental-health support for young people through WeSupport.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001813", "start_seconds": 5445.16, "clock": "01:30:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001813" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001823", "start_seconds": 5489.38, "clock": "01:31:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001823" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001835", "start_seconds": 5550.34, "clock": "01:32:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001835" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001836", "start_seconds": 5557.61, "clock": "01:32:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001836" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001838", "start_seconds": 5564.32, "clock": "01:32:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001838" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001841", "start_seconds": 5582.11, "clock": "01:33:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-001841" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-sarah-jane-i-elago", "label": "Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago", "items": [ { "label": "AgriCamp location, construction and safeguards", "text": "Elago asked why the AgriCamp in Palawan was located at the Iwahig property and whether construction was complete. Gatchalian said construction was ongoing after a short pause and the department was working to restart it. The land was provided by the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), which is assigned to manage AgriCamps under the law; the location was near existing operations and offered a large open area. He identified informal settlers’ rights and environmental standards as reasons for the pause. Elago raised concern that proximity to Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm could expose children undergoing rehabilitation to stigma and discrimination, and asked whether location standards had been applied. Gatchalian clarified that the site was a joint decision of DSWD, the Department of Justice (DOJ), BuCor and the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC); he said officials had visited the peripheral, mountainous site and assessed it for restorative rehabilitation and reintegration. Elago also raised the distance from families, requested continued monitoring and a committee site visit, and asked that public descriptions avoid associating the AgriCamp with Iwahig. Gatchalian noted the request and said the longer-term goal was to build facilities in Luzon and Mindanao as well.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002067", "start_seconds": 6634.15, "clock": "01:50:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002067" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002071", "start_seconds": 6650.19, "clock": "01:50:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002071" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002081", "start_seconds": 6680.61, "clock": "01:51:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002081" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002082", "start_seconds": 6681.69, "clock": "01:51:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002082" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002088", "start_seconds": 6705.24, "clock": "01:51:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002088" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002103", "start_seconds": 6765.12, "clock": "01:52:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002103" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002135", "start_seconds": 6866.12, "clock": "01:54:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002135" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002149", "start_seconds": 6906.38, "clock": "01:55:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002149" } ] }, { "label": "Transferred early-childhood responsibilities", "text": "Rep. Sarah Jane I. Elago then asked about funding for child development centers, child-minding centers and supervised neighborhood play. Gatchalian said the early childhood care and development (ECCD) child-minding responsibility had moved from DSWD to the Department of Education (DepEd) and later the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); standards now sat with the ECCD Council. DSWD retained universal feeding at daycare centers, specifically the nutritional component, and no longer held the broader mandate or its funding.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002197", "start_seconds": 7009.98, "clock": "01:56:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002197" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002201", "start_seconds": 7017.4400000000005, "clock": "01:56:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002201" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002211", "start_seconds": 7031.04, "clock": "01:57:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002211" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002215", "start_seconds": 7040.6, "clock": "01:57:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002215" } ] }, { "label": "Child-development centers, nutrition, and ECCD enrollment", "text": "Elago asked about DSWD and CWC support for child-development centers, child-minding centers, and supervised neighborhood play. Gatchalian said DSWD handles nutrition for enrolled children in early-childhood centers through its information system and supplemental feeding program, with nutritionists advising on menus and nutrition and caloric intake. He said child-friendly local-government criteria include early-childhood care and development enrollment and noted that enrollment remained low. The exchange focuses on food and nutrition support and enrollment responsibilities.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007638", "start_seconds": 24623.36, "clock": "06:50:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007638" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007654", "start_seconds": 24655.0, "clock": "06:50:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007654" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007704", "start_seconds": 24755.78, "clock": "06:52:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007704" } ] }, { "label": "LGBTQIA+ community consultation and institutional practice", "text": "Elago asked whether DSWD engaged civil-society and people's organizations, schools, communities, and local governments on LGBTQIA+ concerns and government programs. Undersecretary Ellen Pasion said the Department gathered practices from local governments and organizations, citing Quezon City's Right to Care Ordinance, and visited universities. She cited Philippine Normal University, whose memorandum recognized members' lived names, as an example of practice the Department was collecting.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007721", "start_seconds": 24792.1, "clock": "06:53:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007721" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007735", "start_seconds": 24820.02, "clock": "06:53:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007735" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007747", "start_seconds": 24844.28, "clock": "06:54:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007747" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-john-tracy-f-cagas", "label": "Rep. John Tracy F. Cagas", "items": [ { "label": "Social pension priority and on-demand inclusion of omitted seniors", "text": "Rep. John Tracy F. Cagas asked how DSWD prioritized applicants for social pension, noting that about 12 million seniors lived nationwide while DSWD covered about 4.2 million, and asked whether priority began at age 70. Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian said DSWD sought full coverage but tight fiscal space limited the number served. He said existing pensioners under the Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) or Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO) were excluded under the law, and the available coverage was prioritized by age, starting with the oldest seniors. DSWD initially relied on names in the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS), as required by law, but Gatchalian said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) later acknowledged that some older people were missing from the survey. DSWD therefore uses local government unit (LGU) waitlists: it sends names to PSA to check birth and death registries, and adds an omitted senior to the list when the checks confirm the person is alive and old enough. Cagas agreed that CBMS had missed people, estimated about 20% were omitted, and asked that they be restored; Gatchalian introduced a new on-demand proposal, in which LGUs report an eligible senior missing from CBMS and DSWD queries PSA for the same registry checks before adding the person.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002262", "start_seconds": 7135.95, "clock": "01:58:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002262" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002287", "start_seconds": 7174.47, "clock": "01:59:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002287" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002373", "start_seconds": 7277.55, "clock": "02:01:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002373" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002394", "start_seconds": 7311.47, "clock": "02:01:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002394" } ] }, { "label": "SLP eligibility and scaled group grants", "text": "Cagas called the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) a favored program and asked whether a group of 20–30 members received PHP 600,000 for a viable business proposal. Gatchalian said SLP funds were allocated by region and regional staff validated applicants on the ground, rather than relying only on CBMS. Applicants must be poor, marginalized and vulnerable; DSWD has individual and group tracks but encourages groups, with social preparation and training before a grant. He clarified that the grant calculation was about PHP 15,000–20,000 per member and the group total is multiplied by membership. Thus PHP 600,000 was Cagas’s question about a viable proposal, not a flat grant for every group.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002418", "start_seconds": 7341.53, "clock": "02:02:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002418" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002451", "start_seconds": 7382.58, "clock": "02:03:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002451" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002503", "start_seconds": 7439.14, "clock": "02:03:59", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002503" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002509", "start_seconds": 7446.18, "clock": "02:04:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002509" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002510", "start_seconds": 7447.24, "clock": "02:04:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002510" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-jc-m-abalos", "label": "Rep. JC M. Abalos", "items": [ { "label": "CBMS rollout, enrollment, and waitlist protection", "text": "Abalos asked whether the transition from Listahanan to the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) was causing census and data delays that affected 4Ps and other social-protection planning. Gatchalian agreed that CBMS records were arriving in tranches from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and said the timing of registry completion—not the program’s beneficiary target—had been affected. He reported about 3.1 million entries, with 400,000 still to publish, validate, and complete through community organizing, and said DSWD expected the full registry to be ready by the end of October. Asked what would happen to poor households left on a waitlist or not matched in the new system, he said DSWD had made special provisions so they would not be left in limbo through the transition. He reported that 115,000 had entered the program and another 16,000 were due for enrollment and already being registered. For revalidation, he cited 107,595 households whose eligibility field staff believed could still be confirmed through CBMS validation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002831", "start_seconds": 7794.59, "clock": "02:09:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002831" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002850", "start_seconds": 7817.3099999999995, "clock": "02:10:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002850" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002899", "start_seconds": 7877.85, "clock": "02:11:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002899" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002930", "start_seconds": 7921.3, "clock": "02:12:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002930" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002963", "start_seconds": 7957.58, "clock": "02:12:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002963" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002966", "start_seconds": 7962.34, "clock": "02:12:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-002966" } ] }, { "label": "Personal-services growth and regular positions", "text": "Abalos asked whether long-serving city and municipal links employed as job-order workers would move to contractual or permanent positions. Gatchalian confirmed new regular positions in the 4Ps cluster, saying there were nearly 5,700 and that another 5,000 would follow, and thanked Congress and the Senate for supporting the change.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003110", "start_seconds": 8191.24, "clock": "02:16:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003110" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003115", "start_seconds": 8213.24, "clock": "02:16:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003115" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003117", "start_seconds": 8218.48, "clock": "02:16:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003117" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003119", "start_seconds": 8231.62, "clock": "02:17:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003119" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-salvador-a-pleyto", "label": "Rep. Salvador A. Pleyto", "items": [ { "label": "Digital payouts and access for unbanked beneficiaries", "text": "Representative Salvador A. Pleyto asked what share of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) assistance payouts was fully digital rather than cash-in-hand, and how beneficiaries in Bulacan without bank accounts, smartphones or internet would be protected from exclusion. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said delivery varies by program: Walang Gutom and Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) were fully digital from the start, while Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), including Uplift, was still transitioning. DSWD had hoped to enroll all 2.5 million Group 2 Uplift beneficiaries digitally, but validation found that only 20% had bank accounts. Gatchalian said DSWD was working with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), banks and GCash to enroll beneficiaries, while recognizing that forcing digital payouts could leave unbanked people behind. The exchange gives program examples and Uplift account access, rather than an agency-wide digital share.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003155", "start_seconds": 8337.61, "clock": "02:18:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003155" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003172", "start_seconds": 8386.61, "clock": "02:19:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003172" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003186", "start_seconds": 8417.61, "clock": "02:20:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003186" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003189", "start_seconds": 8428.61, "clock": "02:20:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003189" } ] }, { "label": "Decentralized disability-ID database and devolved issuance", "text": "Pleyto asked how DSWD would audit local-government-issued persons-with-disabilities and senior-citizen cards through the planned decentralized persons with disabilities (PWD) database with the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA), to address fake IDs used for municipal discounts. Gatchalian said the program was being carefully planned with local governments and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) for a smooth launch, and some local governments were ready. He emphasized that the law assigns issuance of persons-with-disabilities IDs to local governments, not the national government. DSWD would continue the program cautiously while respecting that devolved role.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003208", "start_seconds": 8478.27, "clock": "02:21:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003208" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003221", "start_seconds": 8502.27, "clock": "02:21:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003221" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-antonio-l-tinio", "label": "Rep. Antonio L. Tinio", "items": [ { "label": "4Ps graduation and continued protection against shocks", "text": "Gatchalian said the 4Ps caseload had begun at about 4.4 million families and that 1.77 million families had graduated into self-sufficiency. He cautioned that graduates remained vulnerable to a death in the family, a typhoon or illness that could push them back into poverty. He described assistance programs as social protection during those shocks while DSWD also develops its programs beyond immediate welfare. In his account, 4Ps was shrinking as families graduated, while other assistance was growing to serve as a temporary support.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003395", "start_seconds": 8975.86, "clock": "02:29:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003395" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003399", "start_seconds": 8990.86, "clock": "02:29:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003399" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003405", "start_seconds": 9007.9, "clock": "02:30:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003405" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003415", "start_seconds": 9027.9, "clock": "02:30:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003415" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003427", "start_seconds": 9051.42, "clock": "02:30:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003427" } ] }, { "label": "Poverty data, inflation and the food threshold", "text": "Gatchalian said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) attributed the reported decline in poverty to higher household income and lower inflation, citing wage increases, entrepreneurship, international remittances and pensions among the drivers; he said four of five main reasons were not domestic cash transfers. Tinio challenged the timing of the inflation data, saying inflation had risen again in 2026, and disputed the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev) food threshold of PHP 64 a day, which he contested as a measure of poverty. Gatchalian agreed the threshold should be revisited and said PSA had told DSWD it was studying the issue. He added that DSWD calibrates its programs using the data provided to it while continuing to raise practical questions about that data.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003637", "start_seconds": 9474.68, "clock": "02:37:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003637" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003666", "start_seconds": 9536.0, "clock": "02:38:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003666" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003672", "start_seconds": 9546.32, "clock": "02:39:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003672" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003681", "start_seconds": 9564.44, "clock": "02:39:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003681" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003682", "start_seconds": 9566.62, "clock": "02:39:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003682" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003687", "start_seconds": 9575.38, "clock": "02:39:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003687" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003692", "start_seconds": 9586.24, "clock": "02:39:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003692" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003703", "start_seconds": 9608.5, "clock": "02:40:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003703" } ] }, { "label": "Proactive senior validation and payment coordination", "text": "Tinio pressed for timely delivery of centenarian gifts. Gatchalian said DSWD coordinates with the supervised NCSC but does not direct its operations. He encouraged NCSC to work with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), compare local waitlists with birth and death registries, and use government demographic data to forecast people approaching gift-eligible ages, rather than relying only on applications. Calapit also said some seniors were only now applying after qualifying birthdays in 2024 or 2025. Calapit described current quarterly distribution and application timing; Gatchalian said forecasting could help determine funding needs in advance and let the government contact eligible seniors before they had to apply. This was a coordination recommendation and commitment to provide forecast information, not a change already implemented.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008089", "start_seconds": 25697.93, "clock": "07:08:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008089" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008102", "start_seconds": 25748.27, "clock": "07:09:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008102" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007998", "start_seconds": 25449.52, "clock": "07:04:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007998" } ] } ] }, { "key": "deputy-speaker-mercedes-k-alvarez", "label": "Deputy Speaker Mercedes K. Alvarez", "items": [ { "label": "SLP institutionalization and livelihood pathways", "text": "Gatchalian said SLP remained a line item rather than a program established by legislation; its bill had moved from the Social Services Committee to the Appropriations Committee. He said legislation could address SLP’s limited staffing and support the livelihood program as a lasting part of DSWD’s work. He described entrepreneurship as a possible next step for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) graduates, alongside education, and said SLP needed a stronger public information campaign. When Alvarez asked whether he supported institutionalizing SLP in law and then asked about AICS, he answered that he supported both. The exchange records support for legislation, not enactment.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003791", "start_seconds": 9793.67, "clock": "02:43:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003791" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003838", "start_seconds": 9890.57, "clock": "02:44:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003838" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003842-split-2", "start_seconds": 9898.55, "clock": "02:44:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003842-split-2" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003843-split-2", "start_seconds": 9902.2, "clock": "02:45:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003843-split-2" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-jesus-bong-c-suntay", "label": "Rep. Jesus \"Bong\" C. Suntay", "items": [ { "label": "Disaster response logistics and food stocks", "text": "Suntay praised timely delivery of food boxes and sleeping kits in his district, then asked how DSWD could reach provincial areas where warehouses and trucking were less accessible. Gatchalian described a tiered network of about 1,040 warehouses, two repacking centers and a third being built in Mindanao with a multiyear congressional allocation. He said the department had raised its food-pack stockpile from about 200,000 when he joined to 5.2 million before successive storms and released 3.6 million that month. Suntay also described aid as readily available in his district during recent disasters.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003903", "start_seconds": 10217.11, "clock": "02:50:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003903" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003906", "start_seconds": 10233.51, "clock": "02:50:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003906" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003922", "start_seconds": 10301.83, "clock": "02:51:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003922" } ] }, { "label": "AICS targeting and safeguards against political use", "text": "Suntay asked how AICS was allocated and who received the largest share. Gatchalian said distribution was need-based, assessed by social workers, and that referrals came from many sources; frontline social workers decided whether to approve a request. Suntay alleged that during a previous Congress AICS had been used in his district to pay people attending pre-election rallies and that prefilled forms were delivered door to door. Gatchalian agreed that aid should not be used for political gain and said DSWD had tightened its implementing guidelines, including anti-EPAL and CLARO rules, with prohibitions in the GAA and department guidelines and possible prosecution of employees.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003958", "start_seconds": 10452.09, "clock": "02:54:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003958" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003959", "start_seconds": 10455.09, "clock": "02:54:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003959" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003968", "start_seconds": 10483.09, "clock": "02:54:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003968" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003976", "start_seconds": 10535.09, "clock": "02:55:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003976" } ] }, { "label": "4Ps and livelihood pathways", "text": "Suntay argued that 4Ps beneficiaries follow the requirements of Republic Act 11310 and said the program should be strengthened alongside livelihood support, so families are not left behind by emergency assistance. Secretary Rex Gatchalian agreed with gradually reducing reliance on cash transfers while strengthening entrepreneurship, describing livelihood as one pathway for 4Ps families. Asked about current beneficiaries, graduates and enrollment, Gatchalian said the program had 4.4 million beneficiaries at the start of the administration; 50,000 graduated between 2014 and 2022; 1.7 million families exited from 2022 onward; the database then held about 3 million, compared with 3.5 million at the current poverty incidence, and DSWD planned to enroll an additional 500,000 by October.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003988", "start_seconds": 10611.09, "clock": "02:56:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-003988" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004006", "start_seconds": 10714.09, "clock": "02:58:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004006" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004016", "start_seconds": 10756.09, "clock": "02:59:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004016" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004026", "start_seconds": 10794.09, "clock": "02:59:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004026" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-milagros-mila-aquino-magsaysay", "label": "Rep. Milagros \"Mila\" Aquino-Magsaysay", "items": [ { "label": "NCSC oversight and optimization plan", "text": "Magsaysay asked whether the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) belonged under the Office of the President or DSWD, noting that the law places it under the Office of the President and that public confusion persisted. Gatchalian said the Office of the President's legal opinion called for the status quo: NCSC remained independent, with DSWD coordinating on programs and budget matters, and DSWD could not directly assume control before approval of an optimization plan. He said the opinion included a caveat concerning the optimization law and its implementing rules, and that DSWD had submitted a plan including NCSC. Magsaysay agreed that the relationship was lateral coordination; Gatchalian confirmed the point.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004063", "start_seconds": 11020.41, "clock": "03:03:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004063" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004071", "start_seconds": 11047.69, "clock": "03:04:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004071" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004090", "start_seconds": 11118.25, "clock": "03:05:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004090" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004096", "start_seconds": 11142.57, "clock": "03:05:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004096" } ] }, { "label": "Accreditation of home-care and elderly facilities", "text": "Magsaysay asked why accreditation of home-care and elderly facilities drew complaints of delay. Gatchalian said DSWD had streamlined the process: a complete application that meets standards could be processed in about two months, with registration and the operating license handled together online. He said applications take longer when facilities do not meet standards; the department provides technical assistance so applicants can address its recommendations.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004101", "start_seconds": 11168.71, "clock": "03:06:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004101" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004108", "start_seconds": 11198.15, "clock": "03:06:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004108" } ] }, { "label": "Social pension inclusion and priority for older applicants", "text": "Magsaysay raised complaints about social-pension payouts and asked what would happen to seniors removed from the beneficiary list. Gatchalian said the main grievance was inclusion: the mandate was funded for only about half of those to be served, some people were removed because they also received Social Security System (SSS), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), or other pensions, and Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) data had created omissions. He said DSWD had introduced an on-demand check: when a local government unit (LGU) reports an eligible senior absent from CBMS, the department can check birth and death registry data and add the person if eligible. For newly available slots, DSWD would prioritize the oldest applicants, using CBMS and waiting lists rather than geography. Magsaysay proposed a universal social pension; Gatchalian strongly agreed, while explaining that funding still covered only about half the mandate.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004137", "start_seconds": 11302.75, "clock": "03:08:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004137" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004140", "start_seconds": 11314.07, "clock": "03:08:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004140" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004158", "start_seconds": 11397.99, "clock": "03:09:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004158" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004165", "start_seconds": 11426.28, "clock": "03:10:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004165" } ] }, { "label": "Senior priority in disaster relief and Region I complaint", "text": "Magsaysay questioned whether seniors were prioritized in relief distribution during monsoon flooding. Gatchalian said LGUs are the first responders and DSWD augments their capacity; the department released 3.6 million family food packs over four months and delivered them to LGUs for last-mile distribution. DSWD reminded local social-welfare offices to prioritize vulnerable groups, including seniors, and said it sets standards and regulates implementation. Magsaysay then said she would file a complaint against the Region I director over alleged arrogance and injustice toward seniors. Gatchalian agreed to accept it, commission fact-finding through the administrative process, and report back to the committee; the exchange records an investigation commitment, not a finding of guilt.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004194", "start_seconds": 11537.04, "clock": "03:12:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004194" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004200", "start_seconds": 11560.94, "clock": "03:12:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004200" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004215", "start_seconds": 11640.82, "clock": "03:14:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004215" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004218", "start_seconds": 11656.14, "clock": "03:14:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004218" } ] }, { "label": "Senior-citizen forecasting, data access and digital systems", "text": "Secretary Rex Gatchalian said NCSC could plan cash-gift staffing and administration around projected age-based beneficiary targets, using Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) information and a three-year rolling forecast rather than waiting for applications. Magsaysay said digital systems were needed to gather information on seniors approaching eligible ages. Calapit said NCSC used Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) PhilSys data, while some local government units were not represented in CBMS because they could not pay for it. She said NCSC was discussing data access with PSA PhilSys, which had asked for a court order to share data, and that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) advised NCSC to write to the Office of the President. Calapit said NCSC's existing online registration was homegrown and that it needed a system capable of capturing senior-citizen data.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008243", "start_seconds": 26581.4, "clock": "07:23:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008243" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008245", "start_seconds": 26592.64, "clock": "07:23:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008245" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008286", "start_seconds": 26807.53, "clock": "07:26:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008286" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008292", "start_seconds": 26843.67, "clock": "07:27:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008292" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008312", "start_seconds": 26935.97, "clock": "07:28:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008312" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-iris-marie-demesa-montes", "label": "Rep. Iris Marie Demesa Montes", "items": [ { "label": "House Bill No. 9084 and interoperable social registries", "text": "Montes described fragmented government data systems as an obstacle to timely, accurate social-protection delivery and presented House Bill No. 9084, which would establish an integrated, interoperable national registry. She described linking local government unit (LGU) and barangay household records, civil-registration and national-identification systems, program and sectoral registries such as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), senior-citizen, disability, disaster-response, education and labor records, and social registries for poverty targeting and household vulnerability. She said the bill includes data-privacy and accountability safeguards and asked whether DSWD viewed the reform as a step in the right direction and would support it. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said DSWD was already running a small internal pilot combining its own 4Ps and other program databases, distinct from a national registry, and that scaling the concept nationally would be useful. He said DSWD fully supported the bill and had already registered that support in writing. Montes offered to provide the bill for further comments; Gatchalian said the department would review any new angles for comment.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004252", "start_seconds": 11930.68, "clock": "03:18:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004252" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004268", "start_seconds": 12062.12, "clock": "03:21:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004268" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004270", "start_seconds": 12077.8, "clock": "03:21:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004270" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004273", "start_seconds": 12091.56, "clock": "03:21:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004273" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004281", "start_seconds": 12132.56, "clock": "03:22:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004281" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-johanne-monich-g-bautista", "label": "Rep. Johanne Monich G. Bautista", "items": [ { "label": "AICS crisis eligibility and worker access", "text": "Bautista asked whether minimum-wage and middle-class workers facing a medical emergency or death in the family could receive DSWD assistance. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said AICS is available to everyone and assesses the crisis rather than income level; applicants can visit DSWD offices for a social-worker assessment. He said a significant share of assistance reaches people above the poverty threshold, including near-poor households, and promised to furnish the committee with data.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004317", "start_seconds": 12309.31, "clock": "03:25:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004317" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004323", "start_seconds": 12342.21, "clock": "03:25:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004323" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004333", "start_seconds": 12369.31, "clock": "03:26:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004333" } ] }, { "label": "Uplift assistance for low-wage SSS members", "text": "Gatchalian said the President had directed DSWD to widen Uplift Assistance during the energy emergency. Its third component targets about 1.5 million low-wage earners covered by the Social Security System (SSS), including earners above the minimum wage. DSWD had served about 800,000; many beneficiary accounts were dormant, and it was working with SSS to find more recipients. He described a PHP 2,000 monthly allocation per beneficiary. Bautista thanked him for the explanation.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004335", "start_seconds": 12379.21, "clock": "03:26:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004335" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004339", "start_seconds": 12396.21, "clock": "03:26:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004339" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004340", "start_seconds": 12398.21, "clock": "03:26:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004340" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004343", "start_seconds": 12413.11, "clock": "03:26:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004343" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-cielo-krisel-lagman", "label": "Rep. Cielo Krisel Lagman", "items": [ { "label": "Family-sized and more varied evacuation food packs", "text": "Lagman described a seven-month evacuation in Tabaco, Albay, from January 6 to August 6, during which DSWD provided food packs intended to last three days; families received about nine to ten boxes per month. She said a family of one and a family of ten each received one box, including six kilograms of rice every three days, and asked that distribution account better for family size so larger families received a fairer share. She also asked for more variety for prolonged evacuations: replace sugar-heavy three-in-one coffee with plain coffee sticks, consider a dozen sticks rather than five packets, and find a more nutritious substitute for Ovaltine. Gatchalian agreed that DSWD should study individual versus family packs, acknowledging the storage and logistics challenge. He said food fatigue in prolonged disasters was real and variety mattered. He noted that packs had passed the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) minimum standards, while agreeing to review the coffee and other contents. These were proposals for study and review, not changes already adopted.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004367", "start_seconds": 12515.74, "clock": "03:28:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004367" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004381", "start_seconds": 12581.44, "clock": "03:29:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004381" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004392", "start_seconds": 12632.42, "clock": "03:30:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004392" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004431", "start_seconds": 12787.52, "clock": "03:33:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004431" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004450", "start_seconds": 12850.86, "clock": "03:34:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004450" } ] }, { "label": "Emergency cash support and prolonged disasters", "text": "Lagman praised DSWD's response during the Mayon-related evacuation but said families received Emergency Cash Assistance only once during the seven-month period. She suggested planning for more frequent assistance and balancing cash-for-work with emergency cash assistance. Gatchalian said Mayon had not de-escalated and committed to have the Undersecretary for Disaster sit with Lagman to plan packages for Mayon and other prolonged disasters.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004471", "start_seconds": 12947.86, "clock": "03:35:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004471" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004477", "start_seconds": 12989.4, "clock": "03:36:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004477" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-atty-miro-s-quimbo", "label": "Rep. Atty. Miro S. Quimbo", "items": [ { "label": "Family food pack presentation and political repacking concern", "text": "Quimbo praised the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) faster response and more professional delivery of family food packs. He said he rarely heard of packs being dismantled and repackaged for political presentation, adding that the packaging was difficult to unbundle. He suggested replacing the businesslike name “Family Food Pack” with something more hopeful and aspirational. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian agreed to change the name.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004489", "start_seconds": 13054.06, "clock": "03:37:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004489" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004505", "start_seconds": 13115.4, "clock": "03:38:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004505" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004512", "start_seconds": 13146.16, "clock": "03:39:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004512" } ] }, { "label": "Pension coverage, exclusion and contribution fairness", "text": "Quimbo said the social-pension program drew criticism because many seniors were not receiving it, and argued that the program should expand. Gatchalian put the running senior-citizen population at 11 million and DSWD's current reach at 4.5–5 million. Quimbo described the fairness concern among Social Security System (SSS) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) pensioners, whose work or survivor pensions could disqualify them from social pension while non-contributors received it. He cited an average SSS pension of PHP 3,000–5,000 per month and said the rules could make contributors feel penalized. Gatchalian agreed that pensioners should not be penalized and supported that principle.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004558", "start_seconds": 13335.76, "clock": "03:42:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004558" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004560", "start_seconds": 13340.92, "clock": "03:42:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004560" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004571", "start_seconds": 13385.16, "clock": "03:43:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004571" } ] }, { "label": "Electronic payout access and transport costs", "text": "Quimbo urged a more contactless, electronic pension transfer so seniors would not have to travel to payout sites. He said beneficiaries could spend PHP 150 for a one-way tricycle ride, or PHP 300 round trip. Gatchalian said DSWD was working with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Uplift Assistance bucket 2, where Gatchalian said nearly 80% of the poor were unbanked; banks and e-wallet providers were being brought on site to register beneficiaries at payout, with the aim of banking 2.5 million poor and near-poor Filipinos. Quimbo asked that registration not create lasting delays. Gatchalian said the department was gradually building the database and hoped later tranches could be digital, while noting that broader account coverage still needed to grow.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004574", "start_seconds": 13400.92, "clock": "03:43:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004574" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004581", "start_seconds": 13430.12, "clock": "03:43:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004581" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004582", "start_seconds": 13430.92, "clock": "03:43:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004582" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004585", "start_seconds": 13445.94, "clock": "03:44:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004585" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004597-split-2", "start_seconds": 13501.65, "clock": "03:45:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004597-split-2" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-girlie-e-veloso", "label": "Rep. Girlie E. Veloso", "items": [ { "label": "Malasakit Center assistance and hospital access", "text": "Veloso thanked DSWD for helping patients through Malasakit Centers with hospital bills, transportation, food and burial assistance. She asked that DSWD funds be readily available to its representatives inside hospitals so patients and families would not have to leave to seek help. She proposed efficient processing and automatic deduction of assistance from a patient bill, which she said would complement universal health care. Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured her DSWD would ensure its representatives followed and practiced the existing joint memorandum circular and law establishing Malasakit Centers.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004628", "start_seconds": 13658.44, "clock": "03:47:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004628" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004634", "start_seconds": 13711.08, "clock": "03:48:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004634" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004639", "start_seconds": 13740.38, "clock": "03:49:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004639" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-eulogio-leo-r-rodriguez", "label": "Rep. Eulogio \"Leo\" R. Rodriguez", "items": [ { "label": "Rodriguez thanks DSWD for disaster response in Catanduanes", "text": "Rodriguez cited DSWD programs for children, senior citizens, and families affected by disasters, especially in Catanduanes, which he said is frequently hit. He thanked Secretary Rex Gatchalian for remembering Catanduanes and responding to local needs. Gatchalian thanked Rodriguez and said the department would continue its work there.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004666", "start_seconds": 13877.19, "clock": "03:51:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004666" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004679-split-2", "start_seconds": 13920.85, "clock": "03:52:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004679-split-2" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-roberto-nazal", "label": "Rep. Roberto Nazal", "items": [ { "label": "4Ps outcomes and college access for solo-parent households", "text": "Rep. Roberto Nazal commended DSWD's disaster response and cited the reported graduation of 1.77 million 4Ps households to self-sufficiency. He asked DSWD for a certified regional list of 4Ps solo-parent members with children who are college-bound or enrolled, and whether these families had been matched to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES). Secretary Rex Gatchalian promised the list for Nazal and the committee within 24 to 48 hours. He said DSWD had transmitted 490,000 monitored 4Ps children who were college-bound for 2026, distinct from those already enrolled and another 354,000 for 2027; these are 4Ps monitoring/submission counts, not counts of solo-parent students actually receiving TES. Gatchalian said the number of solo-parent college students was not yet available and separately identified the 4Ps solo-parent catchment as 132,451 households, not children. He said DSWD had long sought priority in TES for the most vulnerable 4Ps families and welcomed the recently signed TES amendment that directs priority to 4Ps.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004751", "start_seconds": 14363.13, "clock": "03:59:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004751" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004756", "start_seconds": 14392.89, "clock": "03:59:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004756" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004819", "start_seconds": 14527.16, "clock": "04:02:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004819" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004839", "start_seconds": 14569.72, "clock": "04:02:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004839" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004849", "start_seconds": 14589.14, "clock": "04:03:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004849" } ] }, { "label": "Unified Solo Parent ID and devolved issuance", "text": "Nazal asked for an update on a Unified Solo Parent ID, arguing that one system would make it easier to validate eligibility and access benefits. Gatchalian said the work was continuing, with DSWD maintaining a database from LGU records, but local social-welfare offices still issue solo-parent IDs. He said DSWD was seeking an arrangement to issue a unified ID without violating the law's devolution of social-welfare functions, and was cautious about authority and signatory responsibilities. He agreed with the value of a unified ID, but did not report that it had been rolled out.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004984", "start_seconds": 14868.16, "clock": "04:07:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004984" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004997", "start_seconds": 14893.66, "clock": "04:08:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-004997" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005038", "start_seconds": 14977.94, "clock": "04:09:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005038" } ] }, { "label": "SLP application turnaround and reported delays", "text": "Nazal said constituents had complained that Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) applications could take months and asked for the current turnaround from a complete application to assistance. Gatchalian said qualifying applicants with complete requirements were processed in 22 days, down from a six-month period, and offered case studies. Nazal offered to send a list of complaints; Gatchalian agreed to investigate them individually and report back on why those cases took longer.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005089", "start_seconds": 15081.7, "clock": "04:11:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005089" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005104", "start_seconds": 15111.86, "clock": "04:11:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005104" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005124", "start_seconds": 15152.06, "clock": "04:12:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005124" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005132", "start_seconds": 15167.68, "clock": "04:12:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005132" } ] }, { "label": "Beneficiary choice and longer-term SLP business outcomes", "text": "Nazal proposed that SLP offer qualified beneficiaries a choice to use livelihood support through accredited franchises or established businesses, including direct payment or a guarantee arrangement, rather than requiring everyone to start from cash. Gatchalian called the idea worthwhile but said DSWD should preserve beneficiaries' ability to choose their own livelihood. He said the department could work with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Department of Tourism on capacity-building, and improve monitoring of whether livelihood funds reached their intended use and businesses succeeded. Gatchalian said DSWD might propose to the Department of Budget and Management a performance measure based on business success, formalization, and survival at the end of the SLP's five-year term, rather than only disbursement and physical targets. Nazal agreed; these were proposals for study and a possible performance measure, not adopted changes.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005135", "start_seconds": 15174.2, "clock": "04:12:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005135" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005172", "start_seconds": 15237.68, "clock": "04:13:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005172" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005223", "start_seconds": 15339.96, "clock": "04:15:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005223" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-ma-cristina-talavera-lopez", "label": "Rep. Ma. Cristina Talavera Lopez", "items": [ { "label": "Planned LGBTQIA+ policy work and community consultation", "text": "In describing the proposed national-scope LGBTQIA+ policy and program work, Undersecretary Ellen Pasion listed policy planning, evidence and accountability, consultative mechanisms, agency capacity, rights and referral pilots, rights promotion, a service directory, and program monitoring, evaluation and learning. She said further community dialogue was needed to develop realistic policies and programs.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005749", "start_seconds": 16571.08, "clock": "04:36:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005749" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005764", "start_seconds": 16610.5, "clock": "04:36:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005764" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-romeo-s-momo-sr", "label": "Rep. Romeo S. Momo Sr.", "items": [ { "label": "SLP monitoring outcomes and employment facilitation", "text": "Momo said he supported the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) and asked for success and failure outcomes rather than just disbursement counts. Gatchalian said DSWD would submit the names and data for successful monitored groups and cited two supportive sources: a DSWD-commissioned Brain Trust study, and a Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) briefing that identified government livelihood and entrepreneurship programs, including SLP, as poverty-reduction drivers. Gatchalian then reported 474,866 monitored micro-enterprise projects and a 77.57% success rate; he described nearly 80% of monitored projects as still operating and submitting financial statements, according to DSWD's internal monitoring group. Separately, he said employment facilitation for people who preferred wage work, pursued with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), had a 59.09% rate of finding, landing, and keeping a job. These are reported monitoring and employment outcomes, not a causal impact estimate for SLP. Momo asked for the supporting figures, and Gatchalian said DSWD would provide them.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005992", "start_seconds": 17090.98, "clock": "04:44:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-005992" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006010", "start_seconds": 17125.64, "clock": "04:45:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006010" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006057", "start_seconds": 17217.18, "clock": "04:46:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006057" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006062", "start_seconds": 17227.06, "clock": "04:47:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006062" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006067", "start_seconds": 17236.82, "clock": "04:47:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006067" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006077", "start_seconds": 17257.5, "clock": "04:47:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006077" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006083", "start_seconds": 17270.16, "clock": "04:47:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006083" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-christopherson-coco-m-yap", "label": "Rep. Christopherson \"Coco\" M. Yap", "items": [ { "label": "People's organization results and SLP grant support", "text": "Yap cited local people's organizations (POs), including SECBA, as examples of effective livelihoods and said proven POs should be supported. He contrasted reported starting capital of PHP 50,000 with PHP 1 million in current earnings; these were organization-level capital and private earnings, not DSWD budget amounts. Secretary Rex Gatchalian welcomed support for effective livelihoods and described a five-year SLP track: groups that demonstrate capacity to earn a profit and formalize could receive another type of grant in Year 3 and again in Year 5, with intermediate monitoring for further grants. After Yap asked that proven POs needing capital be considered, Gatchalian directed the regional director to obtain his list so DSWD could evaluate and validate the organizations and help those that qualified.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006122", "start_seconds": 17354.07, "clock": "04:49:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006122" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006127", "start_seconds": 17364.11, "clock": "04:49:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006127" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006128", "start_seconds": 17366.01, "clock": "04:49:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006128" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006133", "start_seconds": 17376.15, "clock": "04:49:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006133" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006162", "start_seconds": 17433.37, "clock": "04:50:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006162" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-wilfrido-mark-m-enverga", "label": "Rep. Wilfrido Mark M. Enverga", "items": [ { "label": "Wage costs, program reach and water security", "text": "Enverga said LAWA at BINHI was important for preparing for El Niño and supported adding it to DSWD submissions. Gatchalian explained that the program global amount had stayed the same, but higher wage rates reduced the number of people its implementation could reach. He described community-based small water impoundments as supporting food and water security. On potable water, Gatchalian said DSWD was preparing to open an air-to-water pilot in a water-short island in Masbate; certification had delayed it, but he said the required certifications were now in place. He framed the approach as a longer-term response to chronic water shortage as well as a way to reduce logistical difficulty during disasters. Enverga supported the water-system initiative, and Gatchalian said he would submit an amended request that included both water programs.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006273", "start_seconds": 17669.59, "clock": "04:54:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006273" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006327", "start_seconds": 17784.43, "clock": "04:56:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006327" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006358", "start_seconds": 17846.55, "clock": "04:57:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006358" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006368", "start_seconds": 17866.75, "clock": "04:57:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006368" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-ivan-howard-a-guintu", "label": "Rep. Ivan Howard A. Guintu", "items": [ { "label": "Capiz island-barangay bridge losses and KALAHI eligibility", "text": "Rep. Ivan Howard A. Guintu thanked Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian and his team for responding during the severe October-November disaster in Capiz. Guintu said small bridges serving island barangays were destroyed, leaving schoolchildren to wade through waist-deep water, and asked how communities could qualify for the KALAHI program. Gatchalian said selection considers poverty incidence, local government unit (LGU) capacity, and past implementation. He described Panahon ng Pagkilos, the successor to the older KALAHI program, as adding disaster resilience to community-driven development. Its planning considers poverty, stunting, vulnerable communities including Indigenous Peoples (IPs), and disaster prevalence. These criteria are meant to support disaster-resilient plans and subprojects.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006461", "start_seconds": 18092.2, "clock": "05:01:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006461" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006470", "start_seconds": 18163.44, "clock": "05:02:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006470" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006484", "start_seconds": 18254.28, "clock": "05:04:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006484" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-emilio-bernardino-l-yulo", "label": "Rep. Emilio Bernardino L. Yulo", "items": [ { "label": "Typhoon damage to Kalahi hanging bridges and repair assessment", "text": "Representative Emilio Bernardino L. Yulo said Typhoon Tino had heavily ravaged his district and destroyed almost all hanging bridges built under the Kalahi program. He asked the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to inspect the bridges. Yulo also described several recent Mount Kanlaon eruptions and damage to the sugar industry from the red-striped soft scale insect, and thanked DSWD and its regional director for responding to the district. Secretary Rex Gatchalian said DSWD would obtain a list of the destroyed bridges and assess what it could do to repair them. This is a repair assessment commitment, not a report that the bridges have been repaired or that repair funding has been approved.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006528", "start_seconds": 18438.38, "clock": "05:07:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006528" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006538", "start_seconds": 18490.38, "clock": "05:08:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006538" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-alfredo-a-pido-garbin-jr", "label": "Rep. Alfredo A. \"Pido\" Garbin Jr.", "items": [ { "label": "Juvenile responsibility age, restorative safeguards, and a gap in the law", "text": "Garbin asked Secretary Rex Gatchalian about proposals to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12, arguing that children are exposed earlier to social media and become more informed and daring. Gatchalian said DSWD and child-welfare advocates opposed lowering the age before the existing law was fully implemented. He cited child development and risk factors affecting the individual, family, community, schools, bullying, and online exposure, and argued that prevention should address those factors rather than focus only on age. Garbin emphasized parental responsibility and argued that some 14- and 15-year-olds understand the law and its consequences; Gatchalian cautioned against drawing conclusions about an ongoing case involving minors and relayed that evaluators described a gap between apparent awareness and children's actual understanding. Garbin said he was not challenging the law's child-centered, restorative purpose, but its implementation and the need to balance protection with justice for victims. Gatchalian agreed that Congress could consider a separate gap: a child below the age threshold and without discernment may be diverted to intervention, yet if the child commits a heinous offense and cannot be rehabilitated, the law may leave the child in a center without a clear exit mechanism. He asked Congress to categorize and legislate for that situation, while leaving the question to the legislative process; this was not an endorsement of lowering the age. Garbin said pending proposals retained automatic suspension of sentence, confidentiality of records, and intervention and diversion programs while lowering the age.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006604", "start_seconds": 18785.1, "clock": "05:13:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006604" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006625", "start_seconds": 18867.1, "clock": "05:14:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006625" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006695", "start_seconds": 19129.28, "clock": "05:18:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006695" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006715", "start_seconds": 19253.64, "clock": "05:20:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006715" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006721", "start_seconds": 19288.0, "clock": "05:21:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006721" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-elijah-rumbaoa-san-fernando", "label": "Rep. Elijah Rumbaoa San Fernando", "items": [ { "label": "LGU interpreter requests, coverage data, and training plan", "text": "San Fernando asked how local government units (LGUs) without capacity could receive support and whether NCDA knew which cities and municipalities had FSL interpreters. Relova said NCDA had received no interpreter-assistance requests from LGUs; it handled requests from national government agencies and had no current local coverage data. After meeting Deaf organizations, NCDA proposed to the DSWD Academy a curriculum to help each LGU have at least two FSL interpreters. The proposal is a planned capacity-building measure, not evidence that interpreters are already available across LGUs. San Fernando said reports from the ground described Deaf people unable to communicate at municipal halls, the Hall of Justice, and other offices, and argued accessibility requires available services as well as accessible infrastructure.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006798", "start_seconds": 19463.66, "clock": "05:24:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006798" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006807", "start_seconds": 19492.42, "clock": "05:24:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006807" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006826", "start_seconds": 19555.14, "clock": "05:25:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006826" } ] }, { "label": "Interpreter workforce recognition and access at the hearing", "text": "San Fernando asked how DSWD would recognize FSL interpreters as part of the formal workforce, citing the absence of standards for rates and benefits. Gatchalian pointed to the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG): DSWD had added an indicator grading localities on the presence of an FSL interpreter, which he said was intended to compel and formalize local provision. This was an implementation indicator, not a stated rate, benefits standard, or report of completed local coverage. San Fernando then noted there was no interpreter available for Deaf attendees during this budget hearing. Gatchalian replied, \"We will do better.\"", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006843", "start_seconds": 19633.36, "clock": "05:27:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006843" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006850", "start_seconds": 19659.18, "clock": "05:27:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006850" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006867", "start_seconds": 19745.64, "clock": "05:29:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006867" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006875", "start_seconds": 19785.12, "clock": "05:29:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-006875" } ] } ] }, { "key": "deputy-speaker-yevgeny-vincente-b-emano", "label": "Deputy Speaker Yevgeny Vincente B. Emano", "items": [ { "label": "Local hospital revolving-fund example", "text": "In explaining why a larger advance could help services avoid repeated processing, Emano cited his local-government experience: doctors at local hospitals had received revolving funds that were increased so they could keep operating without repeatedly returning to the provincial capitol. He said the amount had been PHP 100,000 per month and hoped the example would be included in the letter. This was an analogy for operational liquidity, not a DSWD appropriation request.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007057", "start_seconds": 20161.44, "clock": "05:36:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007057" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007059", "start_seconds": 20165.98, "clock": "05:36:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007059" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007060", "start_seconds": 20167.58, "clock": "05:36:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007060" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007064", "start_seconds": 20175.36, "clock": "05:36:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007064" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-charisse-anne-c-hernandez", "label": "Rep. Charisse Anne C. Hernandez", "items": [ { "label": "Cash assistance limit and higher assessed medical or burial guarantee letters", "text": "Hernandez asked the maximum per-beneficiary assistance amount and noted that PHP 10,000 could fall short for costly treatment, orthopedic needs, or funeral and transport costs. She suggested studying a graduated, case-based ceiling for exceptional cases, subject to assessment, documentation, and safeguards. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian clarified that PHP 10,000 is the limit for cash relief assistance. For medical or burial needs, DSWD instead uses needs-based guarantee letters through service providers; social workers assess the quotation, cost estimate, billing, and the person's circumstances. With the appropriate signing authority, a guarantee letter can approach PHP 1 million, and Gatchalian said medical or burial assistance is not constrained by the cash limit in that format. This clarification described a separate assessed payment route; it did not announce a change to the cash ceiling or a decision on Hernandez's proposed exceptional-case mechanism.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007205", "start_seconds": 20466.12, "clock": "05:41:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007205" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007211", "start_seconds": 20477.42, "clock": "05:41:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007211" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007283", "start_seconds": 20621.64, "clock": "05:43:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007283" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007309", "start_seconds": 20673.52, "clock": "05:44:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007309" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007315", "start_seconds": 20685.56, "clock": "05:44:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007315" } ] }, { "label": "Referral information and regional director visit", "text": "After Gatchalian explained the guarantee-letter route, Hernandez said she had learned of the program and could refer constituents needing hospitalization. Gatchalian said the DSWD regional director should visit her and explain the department's service options so her constituents could be referred appropriately. Hernandez praised provincial DSWD staff and social workers as efficient.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007323", "start_seconds": 20700.0, "clock": "05:45:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007323" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007329", "start_seconds": 20735.08, "clock": "05:45:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007329" } ] } ] }, { "key": "senior-deputy-speaker-ferdinand-l-hernandez", "label": "Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand L. Hernandez", "items": [ { "label": "South Cotabato and General Santos disaster response", "text": "Hernandez praised DSWD's regional response after an earthquake affected South Cotabato and General Santos and said Secretary Rex Gatchalian and regional staff remained accessible and returned to affected areas. He also described calling DSWD first when floods affected municipalities he monitored, and said support was already being deployed. He commended the department's implementation and resource deployment, including programs such as the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) and KALAHI, and thanked staff for their quick response.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007360", "start_seconds": 20851.28, "clock": "05:47:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007360" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007371", "start_seconds": 20887.88, "clock": "05:48:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007371" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007385", "start_seconds": 20941.21, "clock": "05:49:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007385" } ] }, { "label": "TES allowance, DSWD eligibility lists, and possible AICS support", "text": "Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand L. Hernandez asked about tertiary education subsidy (TES) students using the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) portal he understood was used for new beneficiaries and the allowance reduction. He cited a change from PHP 60,000 per year (PHP 30,000 per semester) to PHP 30,000 per year (PHP 15,000 per semester). Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian clarified that the TES e-portal belongs to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED); DSWD submits lists of eligible Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) students who reach college age, while TES eligibility requirements are set by the program and students must comply with them. Hernandez asked whether listed students could receive additional assistance through DSWD. Gatchalian said that was possible in principle and that education assistance remained available through Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS). This established a possible complementary assistance route, not an award to any particular student.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008130", "start_seconds": 25946.85, "clock": "07:12:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008130" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008133", "start_seconds": 25973.6, "clock": "07:12:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008133" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008134", "start_seconds": 25975.36, "clock": "07:12:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008134" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008142", "start_seconds": 26030.78, "clock": "07:13:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008142" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008156", "start_seconds": 26112.7, "clock": "07:15:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008156" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-edwin-cruzado", "label": "Rep. Edwin Cruzado", "items": [ { "label": "Referring cases for needs-based guarantee letters", "text": "Rep. Edwin Cruzado asked how to refer hospital patients whose needs exceed the PHP 10,000 cash-relief amount discussed in the preceding exchange, particularly when the Medical Assistance to Indigent Patients (MAIP) cannot cover the need. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the programs can be used together and directed referrals to any DSWD office or satellite office. DSWD social workers assess the case and issue a guarantee letter to an appropriate service provider, including drugstores, orthopedic-supply providers, and burial services. Gatchalian said a patient may seek assistance in the region where they are receiving care, such as Region XI at Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), even if they live in Cruzado's district; returning to the home region is unnecessary. He said staff focus on the crisis and the person's need rather than where they come from. This describes a referral and assessment process, not automatic eligibility or a guaranteed award.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007405", "start_seconds": 21039.77, "clock": "05:50:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007405" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007410", "start_seconds": 21064.53, "clock": "05:51:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007410" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007423", "start_seconds": 21122.45, "clock": "05:52:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007423" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007427", "start_seconds": 21137.01, "clock": "05:52:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-007427" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-antonio-tonypet-t-albano", "label": "Rep. Antonio \"Tonypet\" T. Albano", "items": [ { "label": "Albano commends Region II DSWD service", "text": "Albano praised the regional director for exemplary service across Region II and said constituents valued DSWD assistance, particularly amid flooding and other local difficulties. He commended her work and the agency staff serving the region.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008119", "start_seconds": 25827.19, "clock": "07:10:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008119" } ] } ] }, { "key": "rep-mikaela-angela-b-suansing", "label": "Rep. Mikaela Angela B. Suansing", "items": [ { "label": "FSL access and disability-employment reporting", "text": "At Suansing's request, National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) Executive Director Glenda D. Relova described policy work on Filipino Sign Language (FSL): a memorandum circular with the University of the Philippines Law Center on FSL in courts, assistance to agencies requesting interpreters, and ongoing coordination between NCDA, its disability-training partners, and the DSWD Academy on FSL training for LGUs. Asked about compliance with disability-hiring quotas, including deaf employees, Relova reported 97.4% engagement or compliance among LGUs in relation to persons with disabilities, but described only 400 regular positions, with the remaining local arrangements relying on focal persons. She promised the committee statistics on how many deaf persons were under the Persons with Disability Affairs Unit. The 97.4% figure referred to LGU engagement/compliance, not the share of positions held by persons with disabilities or deaf people.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008584", "start_seconds": 27963.3, "clock": "07:46:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008584" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008588", "start_seconds": 27972.22, "clock": "07:46:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008588" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008612", "start_seconds": 28025.3, "clock": "07:47:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008612" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008618", "start_seconds": 28055.26, "clock": "07:47:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008618" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008619", "start_seconds": 28063.94, "clock": "07:47:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008619" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008623", "start_seconds": 28080.66, "clock": "07:48:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008623" } ] }, { "label": "Senior-pension forecasting and the PSA/CBMS/PhilSys disagreement", "text": "In a follow-up on the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) social-pension forecasting discussion, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian argued that the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS) should identify people approaching the eligible ages and that the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) should validate identity. He said a data-sharing agreement with the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) could support CBMS use without a court order. NCSC Acting Executive Director Ana Marie C. Calapit said NCSC had met with PSA, could discuss the forecasting model, and had based its FY2027 NEP figures on PSA data. Gatchalian disputed her description of PhilSys as the identification source, saying its individual codes were restricted while CBMS offered a data-sharing route and could support physical validation in remote communities. Suansing urged Rep. Milagros \"Mila\" Aquino-Magsaysay to convene the involved agencies and refine forecasting before the next budget cycle, to reduce delayed pension releases. The exchange records competing agency positions and a coordination proposal, not a resolution of the legal or data-access disagreement.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008645", "start_seconds": 28155.7, "clock": "07:49:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008645" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008655", "start_seconds": 28200.3, "clock": "07:50:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008655" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008661", "start_seconds": 28207.88, "clock": "07:50:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008661" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008698", "start_seconds": 28330.04, "clock": "07:52:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008698" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008748", "start_seconds": 28547.44, "clock": "07:55:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008748" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008779", "start_seconds": 28658.36, "clock": "07:57:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008779" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008780", "start_seconds": 28661.36, "clock": "07:57:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008780" } ] } ] }, { "key": "proc-closing-decisions", "label": "Closing decisions", "items": [ { "label": "Closing decisions", "text": "Vice Chair JC Rahman A. Nava, M.D. called for a motion to terminate the hearing on the proposed FY2027 budget of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), including its attached agencies under House Bill No. 10858. Senior Deputy Speaker Ferdinand L. Hernandez moved to terminate that hearing, and Representative Milagros \"Mila\" Aquino-Magsaysay seconded. Nava asked for objections, heard none, and approved the motion. Hernandez then moved to suspend the committee proceedings at Romualdez Hall without prejudice to the concurrent budget hearing at Nograles Hall. Representative Julienne \"Jam\" L. Baronda seconded, and Nava approved the motion after hearing no objection.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008914", "start_seconds": 29457.22, "clock": "08:10:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008914" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008914-split-2", "start_seconds": 29463.76, "clock": "08:11:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008914-split-2" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008918", "start_seconds": 29481.86, "clock": "08:11:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008918" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008926", "start_seconds": 29534.39, "clock": "08:12:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008926" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008927", "start_seconds": 29539.83, "clock": "08:12:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008927" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008928", "start_seconds": 29544.95, "clock": "08:12:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008928" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008931", "start_seconds": 29563.83, "clock": "08:12:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/44/#asr-008931" } ] } ] } ] }