The government is proposing a PHP1.66-billion increase in funding for development projects in communities previously affected by communist insurgency, bringing the Barangay Development Program (BDP) allocation to PHP9.74 billion in 2027.

During Thursday’s Senate Committee on Finance hearing, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon presented the proposed allocation, representing a 20.5-percent increase from the PHP8.08 billion provided this year.

The amount forms part of the PHP58.53-billion Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) intended to finance priority infrastructure and essential services in local communities.

Under the BDP of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), eligible barangays previously affected by insurgency may receive funding for farm-to-market roads, classrooms, water systems, electrification and health facilities.

The additional funding comes as the government expands development interventions intended to sustain peace and prevent formerly conflict-affected communities from returning to conditions that made them vulnerable to insurgency.

In an Oct. 15 report, the NTF-ELCAC said more than 16 million Filipinos across 5,638 barangays had benefited from PHP44.9 billion in development investments programmed between 2021 and 2026.

Citing Department of the Interior and Local Government data, the task force reported the delivery of nearly 1,593 kilometers of farm-to-market roads, 964 classrooms, 1,178 water and sanitation systems and 551 health and medical stations.

For 2026 alone, PHP8.08 billion was allocated to development projects in 808 insurgency-cleared barangays.

Meanwhile, Senate Finance Committee chairperson JV Ejercito emphasized the need for stricter accountability in government spending following the Supreme Court’s recent ruling declaring certain provisions of previous national budgets unconstitutional.

“We must also ensure that public funds are appropriated for clearly defined purposes, supported by available resources and subject to proper safeguards and accountability,” Ejercito said.

Apart from the BDP, the proposed LGSF includes PHP37.49 billion in financial assistance to local governments, PHP10.3 billion for the Growth Equity Fund and PHP1 billion for participatory budgeting. (PNA)