DPWH budget seen oozing P455B in pork lard
The proposed 2027 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has drawn scrutiny over P455 billion worth of projects flagged for deficiencies in project details, the apparent disappearance of the Special Road Fund as a separate budget item, and disparities in infrastructure allocations among congressional districts.
Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian said on Sunday that some of the anomalies identified in the DPWH budget had also surfaced during deliberations in previous years, warning that failure to address them could leave public funds vulnerable to corruption.
“In the DPWH budget, we saw P400 [billion] worth of red flags. These were redundant projects, had no proper coordinates that we told the DPWH were okay but there were still some issues,” Gatchalian said during a radio interview.
“It’s a part of the budget that was not thoroughly checked that we need to fix because it can be abused,” he added.
Gatchalian cited findings from budget watchdogs such as the People’s Budget Coalition, which found that some proposed infrastructure projects had coordinates pointing to locations in other countries.
Insertions
He said the errors could have been typographical but stressed that they were unacceptable because every detail mattered in passing the law that would serve as the blueprint for government spending.
“It is not acceptable because when you submit a budget you should review it ten times, it should be ten times because this is a law. Every number, every letter is important,” he said.
Gatchalian said the Senate’s observations were based on the agencies’ proposed allocations under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
He also vowed to scrutinize changes introduced by the House of Representatives, which realigned substantial portions of the proposed budget.
He cited farm-to-market road projects placed under the Department of Agriculture, saying the DPWH should carefully assess whether they were necessary and ensure they had the required supporting documents.
Road fund questioned
“What’s important is for these projects to undergo feasibility studies, have work programs, and have details. It can not be inserted without the knowledge of the DPWH similar to what happened in the past when the projects just came up and became a problem,” he said.
Gatchalian said the Senate was coordinating with DPWH officials to ensure that amendments from both chambers included complete project details and supporting documents, preventing a repeat of the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
Separately, Davao City 3rd District Rep. Isidro Ungab has questioned the apparent disappearance of the Special Road Fund as a separately itemized allocation in the DPWH’s proposed 2027 budget.
The roughly P15-billion fund, sourced from the Motor Vehicle Users Charge, was previously listed separately but was folded into the DPWH’s Asset Preservation Program under the proposed budget.
Ungab criticized the lack of clear itemization, saying the fund was effectively invisible unless lawmakers examined the relevant special provision. The reclassification raised concerns about transparency and whether the money would remain traceable to its legally prescribed purposes.
Billions juggled
The lawmaker also hit disparities in infrastructure allocations, saying Davao City received comparatively limited funding for major areas, ranging from about P40 million to P500 million, while other congressional districts received billions.
Ungab also flagged changes to the House-approved budget that shifted P202 billion from the NEP, including P131 billion in reductions to foreign-assisted projects (FAPs).
Other reductions included P10 billion from the pension and gratuity fund for government employees and P11.4 billion from the Department of Health’s immunization program.
Ungab said the realignments favored the DPWH, which received an additional P72 billion despite what he described as its low capacity to absorb funds.