THE House Committee on Appropriations yesterday approved Malacañang’s proposed P6.7-trillion national budget for 2026 after realigning to different departments and agencies the P255 billion that was taken out from the proposed appropriation of the graft-ridden Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). The panel voted 54-6 with six abstentions in favor of House Bill No. 4058 or the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026, which includes amendments introduced by the Budget Amendments Review subcommittee on Monday night. The realignments came from the P255 billion cut in the proposed budget of the DPWH, P252 billion of which came from locally funded flood control programs for 2026. The Department of Health’s budget was increased by P29.28 billion, of which P26.73 billion was earmarked for medical assistance program for poor patients and P2.4 billion for the construction of government hospitals.