The controversial Ayuda Para sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) is set to receive zero funding under the Marcos Jr. administration’s proposed 2026 National Expenditure Program.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman explained that AKAP still has remaining funds for 2025, and fiscal space for next year is “limited.”
“May natitira pa pong pondo for 2025. Given our limited fiscal space, hindi pa po muna natin siya isinama,” Pangandaman said.
For 2025, ₱26 billion has been earmarked for the program, which aims to assist over 5 million beneficiaries.
Critics have labeled AKAP as a form of pork barrel, a claim that both House leaders and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have denied.
Asked whether the House of Representatives will push for AKAP funding next year, House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Rep. Mikaela Suansing said it remains “an ongoing discussion,” noting that many House members see its value.
“We’ve been seeing how it’s been helpful to many of our constituencies. Ang daming natutulungan… ‘Yung hindi naaabot ng AICS dati,” she said.
“I’ll also have to confer with my colleagues in the House as to what the position of the House is,” Suansing added.
Meanwhile, the proposed allocation for the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in 2026 is pegged at ₱112.9 billion.