The funds go directly to hospitals for medical assistance,” Sotto added. In budget negotiations, Malacañang proposed P24.2 billion for MAIFIP, which the House increased to P49.2 billion. No holiday breakMeanwhile, Malacañang announced that President Marcos and executive officials will forgo the holiday break to review and sign the proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget before year-end. In this case, he will make sure to carefully study and sign the 2026 national budget before the end of the year,” Castro said. The bicameral conference committee is scheduled to approve the 2026 national budget on Dec. 28, with separate ratification by the House and Senate on Dec. 29 before submission to Malacañang.

Source: Philippine Star December 19, 2025 17:19 UTC