DPWH backs Senate plan to cut P8.84B in unsupported projects
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday, 4 November, welcomed the Senate's plan to remove P8.84 billion worth of infrastructure projects from the proposed 2027 national budget due to missing supporting documents.
DPWH Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the Senate's move aligns with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to ensure that all projects included in the 2027 spending plan are backed by the necessary documentation.
“Ang mahigpit na bilin sa atin ng Pangulong Marcos ay dapat walang makakalusot na proyektong kulang sa dokumento para masiguro natin na pisikal at aktwal na mararamdaman ng mga kababayan natin ang mga proyektong ating i-implement,” Lopez said.
(President Marcos has strictly instructed that no project should be allowed to proceed without the necessary documents to ensure that the public can see and experience the actual implementation of government projects.)
Lopez said his predecessor, former Public Works secretary and now Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon, introduced reforms during his tenure at the DPWH.
“Siniguro ni Secretary Vince Dizon na dapat transparent ang mga proyektong kasama sa budget ng pamahalaan kaya dapat maimplement natin ito ng maayos at tama,” Lopez said.
(Secretary Vince Dizon ensured transparency in projects included in the government's budget, which is why these must be implemented properly and correctly.)
The reforms introduced by Dizon included requiring supporting documents for infrastructure projects before their inclusion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
These documents include an approved program of work (POW), validated geo-tagged photos, Budget Preparation (BP) 202 Compliance, a Certificate of Implementability, and a master plan, feasibility study, Regional Development Council (RDC) or Local Development Council (LDC) endorsement, or Certificate of Non-Objection.
On Tuesday, 3 November, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian announced that the Senate would remove P8.84 billion worth of unsupported infrastructure projects from the DPWH's proposed 2027 budget.
“The Senate’s mandate is clear: no corresponding documentation, no funding,” Gatchalian said.
“The Senate is committed unequivocally to weeding out unsubstantiated line items, including those lacking concrete and verifiable technical support, to ensure that every item in the final version is shovel-ready. Unverifiable line items will not receive a single peso of public funding,” he added.
Gatchalian made the announcement after Dizon confirmed that 295 DPWH projects, with a combined allocation of P8.84 billion, were either noncompliant or lacked underlying documentation.