Gov’t 2026 budget release hit 91%
The government has released 91 percent of this year’s national budget by end-July, still trailing last year’s pace even as the Marcos administration races to ramp up spending in the second half of the year to revive economic growth.
According to the latest data from the Department of Budget and Management, allotments worth P6.182 trillion had been released as of end-July, equivalent to 91 percent of the P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget.
The pace was slower than the 93.8 percent, or P5.936 trillion, released in the same period last year.
With July marking the start of the second half of the year, the government is looking to accelerate spending after sluggish expenditure in the first six months contributed to the economy’s weak 2.3-percent growth.
Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said stronger economic growth in the second half would be supported by a rebound in public spending.
This rebound is expected to be driven largely by infrastructure spending, with funds for the country’s biggest infrastructure agency already largely released.
The Department of Public Works and Highways had received 99.5 percent of its budget, or P527.7 billion of its P530.1-billion allocation, by end-July.
This was faster than the 97.4-percent release rate recorded in the same period last year.
Overall, most executive departments had already received more than 90 percent of their allocations, with some agencies already fully funded.
Several major agencies, however, continued to lag.
