The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is set to receive the largest percentage increase in funding under the proposed 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), according to Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.
She confirmed that the DOTr’s budget for next year will be more than double its allocation for 2025. Based on the emerging 2026 NEP obtained by The Philippine Star, the department is expected to receive P196.62 billion—an increase of almost P110 billion from this year’s P87 billion allocation under the General Appropriations Act.
The largest portion of the increase is attributed to additional funding for the DOTr’s foreign-assisted projects. These include the North-South Commuter Railway System, Metro Manila Subway Project Phase I, New Cebu International Container Port Project, and the New Dumaguete Airport Development Project.
Also covered are the construction of new airports in Antique, Ormoc, Catbalogan, Kalibo, and New Naga, along with increased funding for the Bukidnon Airport.
A Department of Budget and Management (DBM) official explained that Congress had previously reduced the DOTr’s proposed allocation by transferring certain projects to unprogrammed funds—prompting the agency to significantly raise its proposal this year.
“In the 2025 NEP, the President’s budget indicated that the DOTr was proposed to receive around P180 billion, but it was adjusted during the Congressional budget hearings,” the official said. “When it reaches Congress, they put them in unprogrammed funds because they have the power to do that. We can only propose, right? But they reduced it. So now, we doubled it.”
Meanwhile, during an inspection of bike lane and sidewalk improvements along Elliptical Road in Quezon City, Pangandaman said the government is reviewing the possibility of reviving free bus rides along the EDSA Carousel through state subsidies.
“It was free during the pandemic—we know the reason and why. But now it’s not there yet. We will study it together with Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon and economic managers if possible,” she said.
She also clarified that the Love Bus project is not included in the 2026 NEP but assured that the DOTr has sufficient funds to launch it later this year.