𝗣𝟯.𝟳𝟱-𝗕 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟮𝟱,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀: 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝟭𝟱𝟬% 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟳

𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘗150,000 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘴, 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦

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)—effectively 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.

“This 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,” 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.’s FY 2027 Budget Message, underscoring the administration’s push to make critical cancer services accessible to more Filipinos regardless of where they live.

“Available 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 country’s deadliest cancers, including breast, lung, colorectal, and liver cancer,” 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 CAF—the program’s biggest funding boost yet—the 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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