MANILA – The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has set aside PHP238 billion to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices on key sectors, with aid focused on the most vulnerable rather than blanket subsidies, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Acting Secretary Rolando Toledo said Wednesday.
Speaking before the Legislative Energy Action Development (LEAD) Council, composed of 13 House of Representatives committees, Toledo said the funds are drawn from the 2026 General Appropriations Act and continuing appropriations.
“To respond to the crisis we are experiencing, we have identified around PHP238 billion from available appropriations,” Toledo told lawmakers.
The DBM chief said the spending plan prioritizes immediate relief while preserving fiscal discipline, rejecting broad-based subsidies in favor of calibrated support for the most vulnerable.
“We have to be prudent. The assistance must be targeted to those who are most vulnerable,” Toledo said.
For transport, Toledo said PHP2.5 billion has already been released, along with PHP1 billion for service contracting to stabilize operations amid rising fuel costs.
Cash support is also being rolled out through the Aid to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, with allotments issued and disbursements proceeding upon agency requests.
The government has likewise funded repatriation assistance for overseas Filipino workers through the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.
Toledo said existing programs can be expanded as needed, citing the Department of Labor and Employment’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program and the Department of Health's health interventions.
For agriculture and fisheries, he said around PHP10 billion has already been released to the Department of Agriculture as presidential assistance to cushion production and logistics costs.
The LEAD Council, formed under the leadership of Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, brings together 13 House committees to align fiscal, energy and sectoral responses amid global oil volatility that is driving up transport fares, food prices and inflation.
The council is presided over by Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo, chair of the Committee on Ways and Means, who is leading the panel’s coordinated briefings and policy direction. (PNA)