THE EDUCATION sector continues to receive the biggest share of the government’s proposed national budget for 2027, with nearly P976 billion allocated under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Based on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), education remains at the top of the list of sectors and agencies receiving the largest allocations.

DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert De Leon said that once other education-related budget items are included, the Philippines could once again meet the United Nations’ benchmark of allocating at least five percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to education.

If achieved, this would mark the second consecutive year that the country meets the UN benchmark.

Following education among the sectors and agencies with the largest proposed budgets are the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), with P644 billion; Department of Health (DOH), P353.8 billion; Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), P332.5 billion; and Department of National Defense (DND), P328.8 billion.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), including the Philippine National Railways and Light Rail Transit Authority, ranks sixth with P302.2 billion.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), including its attached corporations, together with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and National Irrigation Administration (NIA), is allocated P261.7 billion.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) ranks eighth with P241.6 billion.

Higher education institutions, including state universities and colleges (SUCs) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), receive P176.5 billion, placing them ninth among the sectors and agencies with the largest proposed allocations.

The Judiciary rounds out the top 10 with P86.8 billion.

Of the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, social services account for the largest sectoral allocation at 34.1 percent, or P2.456 trillion.

Economic services receive 25.5 percent, equivalent to P1.833 trillion, while general public services account for 18.3 percent, or P1.317 trillion.

Debt service represents 15.9 percent of the proposed budget, amounting to P1.143 trillion.

Defense accounts for 6.3 percent, or P452.4 billion.

The proposed allocation underscores the government’s continued prioritization of education, with increased investments expected to help improve learning outcomes, strengthen the education system, and expand opportunities for Filipino learners.