Davao City Consistently Received National Funds Under Marcos Admin, Debunking Misinformation

The Presidential Palace has officially refuted claims circulating on social media that Davao City has not received any funds from the national government under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Presidential Press Officer Claire Castro cited records from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) indicating that Davao City and its barangays received a combined P53.11 billion in national tax allotment (NTA) and other national government allocations from fiscal years (FY) 2022 to 2026. Of this total, approximately P41.63 billion was directly allocated to the city government, while P11.17 billion comprised the combined NTA of the city’s barangays. An additional P314.48 million came from releases under the General Appropriations Act. Castro had previously denied similar allegations, emphasizing that claims made by Representative Paolo Duterte that the city had received “no funds” from the national government for years “is not supported by the national government’s released data.” According to DBM records, as of May 17, 2023, to FY 2026, Davao City has received at least P7.856 billion in total national government financial support for its programs and projects, including national tax allotment, special shares, fire code fees, and regular operating requirements. Furthermore, Castro stated that P7.440 billion came from identified national government agency programs and projects for health, education, infrastructure, and transport modernization projects. Rappler also reported that Davao City held the largest confidential budget among all local government units (LGUs) in Southern Mindanao for 2023 and 2024, amounting to P1.06 billion. The misinformation appears to stem from Duterte’s specific reference to an alleged lack of congressional district allocation. Article X, Section 6 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution legally guarantees local government units a just share of national government revenues, which must be automatically released directly to LGUs. Information Source: Rappler Philippines