Senate reviews DPWH revised adjustment factors for 2026 budget

Senate Committee on Finance Chair Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday confirmed that the chamber is reviewing the revised adjustment factors submitted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as part of ongoing deliberations on the proposed 2026 national budget.

In a Viber message to reporters, Gatchalian said the revised figures are being carefully studied and validated before being applied to projects in the spending measure.

“Nag-submit ang DPWH ng revised adjustment factors. Pinag-aaralan muna namin ito. Pag validated na, a-apply namin ito sa mga projects sa budget,” he said.

(“The DPWH submitted revised adjustment factors. We are studying these first. Once validated, we will apply them to the projects in the budget.”)

Gatchalian emphasized that the Senate’s priority is to ensure that budget items are properly priced and that projects remain implementable.

“Ang importante sa amin ay walang overpriced items at mai-implement ang mga projects para hindi maapektuhan ang ekonomiya natin,” he added.

(“What is important to us is that there are no overpriced items and that projects can be implemented so our economy will not be affected.”)

The DPWH’s submission comes amid a deadlock in the bicameral conference committee over the proposed 2026 General Appropriations Act.

The agency is seeking to restore a portion of its reduced budget, amounting to around P45 billion, following earlier across-the-board cuts to public works projects based on Construction Materials Price Data (CMPD) adjustments.

The bicameral conference on the disagreeing provisions resumed Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Senator Bam Aquino urged the DPWH to recompute its proposed budget and return to bicameral talks with corrected figures.

“Kung may issues kayo doon sa computation namin, mag-compute rin kayo. Gawin niyo ang trabaho ninyo, i-compute niyo ang tama at balikan niyo kami with the right budget,” Aquino said.

(“If you have issues with our computation, then do your own computation. Do your job, compute the correct figures, and come back to us with the right budget.”)

Aquino also stressed that the DPWH should present a project-by-project computation, noting the agency’s claim that the proposed budget covers about 10,000 projects nationwide.

“We want the DPWH to come back to the table and give the proper computation. Sabi niya may 10,000 projects iyan. Bilangin nila, sabihin nila sa amin magkano ba talaga ang gastos using the new CMPD,” he said.

(“He said there are 10,000 projects. They should count them and tell us the real cost using the new CMPD.”)

To break the stalemate, Aquino said the DPWH must submit its actual price computations to the bicameral conference committee.

He reassured that some projects would not necessarily be delayed despite reduced funding, as previous allocations included overpricing.

“May espasyo naman iyan kasi overpriced iyan. Kahit 10 percent ang tanggalin mo, kaya pa rin iyan,” Aquino said.

(“There is room because it’s overpriced. Even if you remove 10 percent, it can still be implemented.”)

He added, “Spend a few days, i-compute ninyo. Balikan niyo kami, pakitaan niyo kami ng totoong computation. From there, we will decide whether we will sign off or not.”

(“Spend a few days, do the computation. Come back to us and show us the real computation. From there, we will decide whether we will approve it or not.”)