Transport coalition flags deep cuts in proposed 2027 spending plan
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Transport advocates urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Congress on Tuesday to restore funding for public transportation, walking and cycling infrastructure in the proposed 2027 national budget.
The Move As One Coalition said the proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2027 would provide no funding for several transport programs, including the EDSA Busway, service contracting, fuel subsidies and road safety, while sharply cutting allocations for public transport modernization and active transport.
"A supermajority — 94% — of Filipinos do not own cars; 94% support the construction of safer, wider bicycle lanes and walkways. Why are their mobility needs not reflected in the proposed National Expenditure Program 2027," the coalition said in a statement.
The coalition said the proposed budget was at odds with the Marcos administration's stated transport goals and the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, which says "pedestrians and cyclists will be accorded highest priority in the hierarchy of road users."
The group said the EDSA Busway, which had a P88.7 million allocation in 2026, would get no funding under the proposed 2027 budget. Service contracting, which had P1 billion in 2026, would also have zero allocation, it said.
Fuel subsidies for transport drivers would fall to zero from P2.5 billion, according to the coalition.
The proposed budget for active transport would also be cut by nearly 68%, the coalition said.
The group has previously called for higher funding for walking and cycling infrastructure, saying the national budget for active transport infrastructure had fallen sharply from P2 billion in 2022 to P105 million in 2026.
It said the cuts were particularly concerning amid rising transport costs.
"The ongoing oil crisis brought about by the war in the Middle East has shown how decades of underinvestment in road-based public transport and active transport have left our public transport system vulnerable and significantly burdened the majority of Filipinos who take public transport, walk, and bike," it said.
The coalition said transport inflation surged to 9.9% in March 2026 from minus 0.3% in February, contributing to a 4.1% overall inflation rate that month.
The group urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Congress to restore funding for public transport, active mobility and transport reforms as lawmakers review the proposed P7.2 trillion 2027 budget.
"The Coalition urges Pres. Marcos Jr. and the members of the 20th Congress to take the 2027 NEP as an opportunity to make good on the administration's commitment at the start of its term in 2023 — one that remains unfulfilled to this day — to invest sufficient funds in public transport, active mobility, and transport reforms and build a transportation system that is more responsive to the needs of the majority and more resilient to future crises," it said.
The 2027 National Expenditure Program will undergo congressional deliberations before the final budget is enacted.
