Nosy Tarsee overheard House leaders lambasting the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) over the agency’s alleged failure to vet hundreds of billions of pesos allocated in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) for flood control projects that had already been completed.

Further, they also flagged “uniform” allocations of P73 million to P93 million, all outlined in a single page in the NEP.

The NEP is the President’s proposed national budget, which the DBM submits to Congress for its approval. It serves as the basis for the annual budget bill, which becomes the General Appropriations Act when signed by the Chief Executive.

Deputy Speaker Antipolo Rep. Ronnie Puno posited that the DBM was equally culpable for the budget blunders, suggesting that the agency may have conspired with the Department of Public Works and Highways, which is embroiled in allegations of corruption and complicity with members of Congress in the multibillion-peso flood control projects.

As a result, the DPWH’s proposed budget for 2026 has been slashed from P881 billion to P625.8 billion, with Congress realigning the P255 billion — initially earmarked for flood control projects — to education, health, and social aids.

However, despite the omission, at least P15.77 billion is still earmarked for flood control projects, though Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo, the DPWH’s budget sponsor, claimed this is for foreign-assisted projects.