04/09/2026
๐ซถ
๐ฃ๐ฏ.๐ณ๐ฑ-๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฑ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐: ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐บ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฌ% ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ณ
๐๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐150,000 ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ค๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ฅ๐ช๐ข๐จ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ด, ๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต, ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ค๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ค๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ธ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ
Twenty-five thousand Filipinos battling cancer stand to receive up to P150,000 each in government assistance next year as the Marcos administration proposes a historic P3.75 billion for the Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
The proposed funding represents a P2.25-billion, or 150-percent, increase from the P1.50 billion provided under the FY 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA)โeffectively expanding the CAF to two-and-a-half times its current funding level as the government moves to ease the potentially devastating cost of cancer treatment on Filipino families.
Compared with the P1.25 billion originally proposed for the program under the FY 2026 NEP, the proposed P3.75-billion allocation for 2027 is higher by P2.50 billion, or 200 percent.
The substantial increase will allow the CAF to extend financial assistance of up to P150,000 per patient to 25,000 cancer patients enrolled in 36 designated cancer care access sites in Department of Health (DOH)-retained and local government unit (LGU)-operated hospitals nationwide.
Of the 36 cancer care access sites, 23 are located in Luzon, five in the Visayas, and eight in Mindanao, expanding the reach of government assistance to patients who need screening, diagnosis, medicines, treatment, and continuing cancer care.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Acting Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon said the historic increase recognizes that cancer is not only a serious health challenge but also one of the heaviest financial burdens a Filipino family can face, particularly when treatment requires prolonged medication, diagnostic procedures, hospitalization, and continuing care.
โThis historic increase will enable more Filipinos battling cancer to receive timely screening, early diagnosis, life-saving treatment, essential medicines, and the financial assistance they need without forcing their families into deeper financial hardship,โ Secretary De Leon said during the FY 2027 NEP Presentation to the President.
The increased support for cancer patients is likewise highlighted in President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.โs FY 2027 Budget Message, underscoring the administrationโs push to make critical cancer services accessible to more Filipinos regardless of where they live.
โAvailable to 36 designated cancer care access sites in DOH-retained and LGU-operated hospitals nationwide, this funding will expand access to timely diagnosis and life-saving treatment for patients battling the countryโs deadliest cancers, including breast, lung, colorectal, and liver cancer,โ the President said in his Budget Message for FY 2027.
The CAF supports cancer prevention, screening, early detection, diagnosis, treatment, and other care-related services, including diagnostic and laboratory procedures necessary for cancer management. Assistance is available to qualified cancer patients, persons living with cancer, cancer survivors, and other eligible beneficiaries.
Through the proposed P3.75-billion CAFโthe programโs biggest funding boost yetโthe Marcos administration seeks to turn increased government spending into a direct lifeline for 25,000 Filipinos fighting cancer, helping ensure that the cost of treatment does not stand between patients and the care they need.
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