The 21st Davao City Council approved Thursday the PHP15.8 billion budget for 2026.

Council members unanimously passed the spending plan after reviewing a 17-page committee report detailing fund sources and expenditure breakdowns, the City Information Office (CIO) said in a news release Friday.

The 2026 budget is 10.8 percent or PHP1.54 billion higher than this year’s PHP14.3 billion allocation.

The CIO said the bulk of the budget, PHP13.65 billion (86.16 percent), will go to the general fund. Another PHP2.02 billion (12.80 percent) is earmarked for the development fund, and PHP165.8 million (1.04 percent) will fund economic enterprises.

The general fund covers personnel services, operational expenses and capital outlays for most city government offices.

The development fund will finance infrastructure projects, while the economic enterprises fund will support public markets, slaughterhouses, Sta. Ana Port, public cemeteries, Davao City Recreation Center, and Magsaysay Park.

CIO attributed the budget increase to a 14.86 percent rise in the national tax allotment (NTA), adding PHP1.31 billion and a projected 4.26 percent increase in local revenues, contributing PHP230.77 million.

“This upward trend in NTA share is attributed to the continued recovery from the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic,” the CIO said. (PNA)