Senator Win Gatchalian is pushing for a more detailed, line-item approach to the proposed 2026 national budget, arguing that greater granularity would minimize opportunities for corruption.

Speaking during the continuation of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget hearing, Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, said, “Let’s take this as a wake-up call to reform our budget nomenclature, process, and implementation.”

The senator highlighted concerns over projects such as farm-to-market roads (FMR), which often lack precise details like station numbers, geographic coordinates, and approximate lengths. He said such vagueness can make it difficult to distinguish new projects from those previously funded, opening the door to irregularities.

“Dapat pagdating sa budget, wala nang room for discretion. Kapag approved na ‘yung budget, i-implement na lang nang tama. Ganyan ang ginagawa natin ngayon, nilalagyan ng detalye para walang room ang mga corrupt officials na paglaruan ang generic titles (When it comes to the budget, there’s no room for discretion. Once the budget is approved, it should just be implemented correctly. That’s what we’re doing now—adding details so that corrupt officials have no room to manipulate the generic titles),” Gatchalian emphasized, stressing that once a budget is approved, it should be implemented accurately without leaving room for manipulation.

He cited an example of a proposed 2026 road project bearing the same name as one already funded in the 2025 budget, highlighting how such duplication could potentially be exploited for corrupt practices.

Gatchalian said “granular” budgeting aligns with ongoing efforts to increase transparency, ensure proper allocation of public funds, and strengthen accountability in government infrastructure projects.e