Government earmarks P230 billion for Mideast crisis responseSmoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 5, 2026. In an interview yesterday with radio dzBB, Toledo said that around P200 billion is drawn from the 2026 budget, while P10.9 billion comes from continuing appropriations under the 2025 budget. The P20 billion from automatic appropriations has already been released to the Department of Energy to beef up the country’s fuel supply. The Department of Migrant Workers is set to disburse P2 billion in aid for overseas Filipino workers. He criticized the importation of onions despite the harvest season and the energy crisis, lamenting the failure to fully implement the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage law against smugglers.

Source: Philippine Star March 27, 2026 16:06 UTC