The national government is proposing a record P3.75 billion allocation for the Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) in the 2027 National Expenditure Program to improve patient access to critical medical services as daily cancer deaths approach 200 nationwide.
House Minority Leader Marcelino “Nonoy” Libanan confirmed the proposed spending figure, highlighting a major expansion in state support for cancer care.
“According to Libanan, the ₱3.75-billion allocation for the CAF is 150 percent higher than the ₱1.5 billion appropriated for the fund this year,” Libanan, a 4Ps party-list representative, said in a statement.
“As members of Congress, it is our duty not only to scrutinize how public funds are allocated, but also to inform the people where their money is going, especially when it comes to programs that directly affect their health and welfare,” Libanan also said.
Libanan said the budget increase aims to help more citizens secure early detection, diagnostic testing, cancer screening, specialized treatment, and related medical interventions.
Eligible patients can access the CAF through health facilities and hospitals operated by the Department of Health (DOH) across the country.
“The numbers tell us that cancer is not just a health issue. It also imposes a tremendous financial and social burden on Filipino families,” Libanan said.
“The CAF can help ease that burden and ensure that a cancer diagnosis does not automatically force a family to choose between life-saving treatment and putting food on the table,” Libanan also said.
Libanan noted that the P3.75 billion CAF allocation sits alongside a separate P1.31 billion appropriation designated for the Cancer Control Program in 2027.
Libanan, a lawyer who also holds a degree in medical technology, has authored legislative measures proposing a centralized electronic health records system and advocating for at least one DOH-managed provincial hospital in every province to strengthen regional healthcare delivery.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported in June that neoplasms, or cancers, claimed 70,668 lives in 2025, maintaining its position as the second leading cause of mortality in the country behind ischemic heart disease.
The death toll represents approximately 194 daily cancer fatalities, with the disease accounting for 11.4 percent of total registered deaths across the Philippines in 2025, according to PSA data.
Beyond mortality rates, figures from the Philippine Cancer Society published earlier this year indicate that more than 150,000 new cancer diagnoses occur nationwide annually.
Priority health programs under the government’s cancer strategy target breast cancer, pediatric cancers, gynecologic malignancies, liver and digestive tract cancers including colorectal cases, head and neck cancers including thyroid conditions, lung cancer, as well as prostate, renal, and urinary bladder cancers.