The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) budget has grown from less than ₱200 billion when the Marcos administration began to ₱260 to ₱270 billion today, with the department consistently spending its entire allocation due to the high demand for social services, Secretary Rex Gatchalian said Saturday.
Gatchalian made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on July 25, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series.
He said the budget growth reflects President Marcos’ commitment to social welfare as a national priority.
“Lagi nagsimula ‘yan sa less than P200 billion, ngayon nasa P260 to P270 billion na,” Gatchalian said.
He said the DSWD consistently zeros out its budget, meaning the entire allocation is spent each year, which he described as a sign of the department’s high absorptive capacity and the enormous demand for its services.
Gatchalian said the DSWD’s budget does not stand alone, as additional funds flow to the department from the Office of the President’s Social Civic Fund and Contingency Fund when needed.
He said the budget increase has enabled the department to expand its programs, grow its workforce, regularize social workers, automate disaster preparedness systems, and triple the AICS crisis assistance fund to ₱63 billion.
The expanded budget has also supported the Walang Gutom Food Stamp Program, the Walang Gutom Kitchen, the Uplift cash relief program, and the revival of the DSWD Academy.
Gatchalian said the department’s all-encompassing mandate, covering everything from hunger to disaster response to crisis assistance to livelihood, justifies its growing budget allocation.
