Department of Health Headquarters in Manila. Jonatha Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA — The House Committee on Appropriations has suspended consideration of the Department of Health’s (DOH) proposed 2027 budget after 10 hours of deliberations, with several House members still seeking to raise questions with the agency.
The deliberations will resume on Monday, September 7.
The DOH budget is among the proposed allocations being scrutinized by lawmakers as Congress reviews the national government’s spending plan for 2027.
The proposed 2027 budget for the Department of Health in the National Expenditure Program is P95 billion or 21.2% lower than this year’s budget.
READ: DOH gets P95-B budget cut under 2027 NEP
Under the 2027 NEP, the proposed budget for the DOH and its attached agencies is P354 billion, which is 10% higher than the proposed budget for the agency under the 2026 NEP, but P485 billion lower than the agency’s requested funding for next year.
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Percival Cendaña made the motion to suspend the budget deliberations, which was seconded and approved by the House panel without objection.
Cendaña said around 29 House members from the majority, as well as members of the minority, still intend to question DOH officials.
“Ako po ‘yung una, pero after I think around 29 members of the majority. Ganyan po karami ‘yung members of the House na gusto po magbigay ng input, magtanong sa DOH, kasi gusto po natin tiyakin ‘yung tagumpay of the DOH under the leadership of Sec. Mercado, and of course, the success of the PhilHealth under the leadership of President and CEO Beverly Ho… para po sa sambayanang Pilipino,” Cendaña said.
“With the indulgence of the members of the House who have expressed intent to raise questions and issues to the Secretary of the Department of Health, I move to suspend consideration of the proposed budget of the Department of Health, subject to its resumption on Monday, at a time to be determined by the Chairperson of the Committee on Appropriations,” he added.
The House panel is expected to continue hearing questions from lawmakers when deliberations resume on September 7.
DOH gets P95-B budget cut under 2027 NEP
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