By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The government is proposing more than twice the current funding for the Department of Transportation (DOTr) next year, with rail infrastructure receiving the largest share of the increase as the administration accelerates major mass-transit projects.
The DOTr’s proposed 2027 budget stands at P300.96 billion, up P163.11 billion, or 118.33 percent, from the agency’s P137.85-billion allocation under the 2026 General Appropriations Act, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the expanded investment is aimed at improving the country’s transportation system and making public mobility faster, safer and more dependable.
“An efficient transportation system is essential to a productive economy. Faster, safer, and more reliable mobility reduces the cost of doing business, improves the quality of life of commuters, and connects Filipinos to greater opportunities,” Marcos said in his 2027 budget message to Congress.
The biggest jump is earmarked for the DOTr’s Rail Transport Program, which is proposed to receive P197.30 billion in 2027, compared with just P55.34 billion under this year’s national budget.
Nearly 97 percent of the proposed rail allocation will be concentrated on two flagship projects: the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System and Phase 1 of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP).
The NSCR is set to receive P123.84 billion, while P67.44 billion is proposed for the Metro Manila Subway, bringing their combined allocation to P191.28 billion.
The NSCR is being developed as a major rail link connecting Metro Manila with key economic areas in Central Luzon and Calabarzon.
Its Tutuban-Malolos segment is projected to accommodate more than 300,000 passengers daily during its first year of operation and cut travel time between the two points to roughly 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, funding for the Metro Manila Subway would increase more than threefold from its P20.39-billion allocation in 2026.
The 33-kilometer subway, planned with 17 stations, is designed to become the country’s first underground urban railway and connect with other major rail systems serving Metro Manila.
Other rail projects are also slated for increased funding.
The LRT Line 1 Cavite Extension Project is proposed to receive P1.17 billion, compared with P799.64 million this year, while the MRT Line 3 Rehabilitation Project is allocated P1.94 billion, nearly four times its 2026 funding of P500 million.
The DBM said the proposed DOTr allocation reflects the administration’s broader transportation investment strategy, with projects prioritized based on available fiscal space, implementation readiness, project maturity and expected outcomes.
Several existing transportation initiatives, however, do not have separate proposed appropriations in the 2027 National Expenditure Program, including the NCR Busway Project, Service Contracting Program and Fuel Subsidy Program.
The proposed DOTr budget forms part of the government’s broader P1.46-trillion infrastructure program for 2027, representing a P178-billion, or 13.8-percent, increase over the P1.29 trillion provided under the 2026 national budget.
The proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 remains subject to committee hearings and deliberations at the House of Representatives.
ia/xf
