Health, disaster resilience top W. Visayas 2027 budget proposals

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

ILOILO CITY — Health received the largest funding allocation while disaster resilience drew the single biggest indicator allocation in the FY2027 budget proposals of regional agencies and state universities in Western Visayas, according to an assessment released by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) Regional Office VI.

The findings are contained in Budget Brief Series No. 1, “Assessment of FY2027 Agency Regional Offices and State Universities Budget Proposals with the Priorities of the WV SDG Catch-Up Plan 2026-2030,” published by DEPDev VI in Iloilo City on August 17, 2026.

The brief covers programs, activities, and projects (PAPs) worth PHP 258.39 billion proposed by 34 regional line agencies and nine state universities. Of the total, 76.1 percent falls under Tier 1 and 23.9 percent under Tier 2.

It is derived from consolidated FY2027 budget proposals in which Agency Regional Offices self-tagged their PAPs to relevant Sustainable Development Goal indicators. The analysis gauges agency responsiveness and shows how proposed investments support lagging and regressing SDG indicators.

The assessment measures alignment with the Western Visayas SDG Catch-Up Plan, which was endorsed by the Regional Development Council VI through Resolution No. 74, s. 2024.

DEPDev VI listed five key findings: health receives the largest funding allocation; disaster resilience and climate adaptation dominate strategic investments; education generates the most interventions; poverty, unemployment, and malnutrition remain major concerns; and agencies show improved SDG tagging and targeting.

Four goals account for the biggest share of proposed investments. Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3) leads with PHP 68.31 million, followed by Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) with PHP 67.77 million, Quality Education (SDG 4) with PHP 63.48 million, and Climate Action (SDG 13) with PHP 58.59 million.

Among individual indicators, Resilience to Natural Disasters (SDG 11.5) is the highest funded at PHP 65.02 million, followed by Deaths, Missing, and Affected Persons from Disasters (SDG 13.1.1) at PHP 57.61 million and Inequality Indices for Education Indicators (SDG 4.5.1) at PHP 53.18 million.

Also among the top-funded indicators are Road Traffic Deaths (SDG 3.6.1) at PHP 32.47 million, Social Health Insurance Coverage (SDG 3.8.1) at PHP 24.37 million, Population Living Below the Poverty Line (SDG 1.2.1) at PHP 15.94 million, and cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease (SDG 3.4.1) at PHP 9.17 million.

Rounding out the list are Unemployment Rate (SDG 8.5.2) at PHP 5.61 million, Malnutrition (SDG 2.2.2) at PHP 5.52 million, and Passing Rate in Licensure Examination (SDG 4.3.s3) at PHP 3.94 million.

The pattern reverses when measured by program reach. Education inequality drew the highest number of interventions at 111 PAPs, followed by unemployment rate with 78, population living below the poverty line with 75, Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17) with 68, and malnutrition with 56.

Manufacturing Value Added per GDP or per capita (SDG 9.2.1) generated 55 PAPs, Completion Rate (SDG 4.1.s1) 37, Access to Secure Tenure (SDG 1.4.2.p1) and Population Covered by Social Health Insurance (SDG 3.8.s1) 31 each, and Manufacturing Employment to Total Employment (SDG 9.2.2) 30.

DEPDev VI said combined funding for SDGs 11 and 13 exceeds PHP 126 million, accounting for nearly half of total allocations for lagging indicators. The strong concentration of resources toward disaster resilience reflects the region’s increasing vulnerability to extreme weather events, flooding, and other climate-related risks.

In contrast, SDGs 1, 2, and 8 — covering poverty reduction, employment and livelihood initiatives, and nutrition and food security interventions — account for PHP 30.56 million. Funding levels are relatively lower, but these areas show a high number of targeted interventions for vulnerable sectors.

The brief describes this as a dual investment strategy that protects development gains while expanding opportunities for inclusive growth, allowing the region to address both immediate risks such as disasters and climate shocks and long-term challenges including poverty, inequality, and low productivity.

Education ranked third in funding but generated the highest number of PAPs. Several state universities proposed investments in academic facilities, extension services, research programs, and technical-vocational education initiatives, with interventions clustered around completion rate, dropout rate, TVET certification rate, licensure examination passing rate, and education inequality indicators.

Health and social protection investments likewise expanded, with proposals on road safety, social health insurance, and non-communicable diseases complementing the substantial health sector investments of the Department of Health.

Moving forward, DEPDev VI said improving the quality and consistency of SDG reporting will be critical, citing the need to enhance SDG tagging, enable multi-indicator reporting, and address data gaps to strengthen results-based planning, data quality, and agency accountability.

The brief was prepared by the Project Development, Investment Programming, and Budgeting Division of DEPDev Regional Office VI, drawing on the FY2027 budget proposals, the Western Visayas SDG Catch-Up Plan 2026–2030, the Regional Development Plan 2023–2028 Midterm Update, and the SDG Indicator Database and monitoring reports.