Education tops 2025 budget, slightly above DPWH’s P1-T
Metro Manila, Philippines - The education sector received the largest share of the P6.326 trillion 2025 budget signed on Monday, Dec. 30, narrowly surpassing the allocation for public works and highways.
Government data showed the sector received a total of P1.055 trillion budget - slightly higher than the P1.007 trillion for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). This allocation is the sum of funds for education agencies such as the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, State Universities and Colleges, among others.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed P194 billion worth of items from the proposed budget, including projects under the DPWH.
Under the 1987 Constitution, the “State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education”.
Other agencies that received the biggest shares are the Department of National Defense with P315 billion, Department of Interior and Local Government with P279 billion, and the Department of Health with P267 billion.
No restoration on budget cut
While the education sector gets the priority share, the controversial P10-billion cut in DepEd’s budget was not restored.
“Under the Constitution, kung ano yung napasa na Kongreso. Iyon na po iyon. We can only veto line items but we cannot add. However, under the budget may certain funds tayo diyan na pwede tayong mag-augment bg ating budget,” Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said.
[Translation: Under the Constitution, whatever has been passed by Congress is final. That’s it. We can only veto line items, but we cannot add anything. However, under the budget, we do have certain funds that allow us to augment our budget]
Marcos earlier vowed to restore the cut after Education Secretary Sonny Angara expressed disappointment over Congress’ move to slash DepEd’s proposed spending plan.
Pangandaman said the government may tap unprogrammed appropriations to augment DepEd’s budget.
“Sa execution na lang tayo doon na lang natin hahabulin ang kulang sa DepEd,” she said.
[Translation: We’ll address the shortages in the DepEd during the execution phase; that’s where we’ll catch up]
