Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino on Thursday, called for the reallocation of a portion of the proposed ₱243 billion flood control budget for 2026 to education and healthcare.

According to RH Raymund Dadpaas on “Rapido Hataw Balita,” Aquino, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education stressed the need to prioritize the welfare of students and the public’s health and the government should reassess its spending priorities.

"If we really concentrate and put the money where the important programs are, ano ba talaga ang dapat pagkagastusan natin nang tama?" said Aquino in a news release.

“The ₱243 billion in the 2026 budget for flood control, I’m guessing that will be slashed significantly,” he stated.

“I’m hoping some of that will go to education and maybe some of that will go to healthcare,” he added.

He pointed out that many Filipinos are still struggling to benefit from the government’s promise of zero billing for medical treatment under the Universal Healthcare Program.

“If we’re able to cut where we’re supposed to cut and allocate where we’re supposed to allocate, we can actually achieve this. It’s not as impossible as it may seem,” he added.

He reiterated that while flood control is important, education and healthcare should remain at the forefront of government spending, especially as the country continues to recover from the impacts of the pandemic and long-standing gaps in basic services.

Last week, Aquino filed a resolution urging the Senate to direct the appropriate committees to review the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other implementing agencies on how they utilized the ₱360-billion flood control budget for this year