The ₱625.78-billion proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) remains intact after it was approved by the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Senator Win Gatchalian on Monday, October 27.
Last week, senators raised questions over 948 DPWH projects that were still being proposed for funding under the 2026 budget, even though they were supposed to be completed within 2025.
During Monday’s hearing, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon defended the inclusion of these projects, saying that 798 of them are still ongoing, while 148 projects worth ₱2.8 billion are currently under validation.
“Sa 798, wala. Doon sa 148, hindi ko pa po masasabi,” Dizon said when asked about the status of the projects.
He assured senators that his department is validating the remaining items and committed to submit the necessary documents to the committee by Friday, October 31.
“Kung hindi mavalidate, ma-justify, at mabigyan ng detalye yung mga line item, please, we give the committee the liberty to remove those projects from the list of projects in the DPWH 2026 budget,” Dizon told the panel.
Earlier, Gatchalian warned that the DPWH’s proposed budget could face a ₱340-billion cut if the agency fails to explain the “red flags” involving the questionable number of projects.
Despite these concerns, the Senate committee moved forward with the approval of the department’s overall budget, pending submission of supporting documents for final scrutiny.