DPWH backs P8.84-B budget purge

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Wednesday welcomed the Senate’s plan to remove P8.84 billion worth of infrastructure projects from the proposed 2027 national budget due to a lack of 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.

“President Marcos has strictly instructed that no project should be allowed to pass without the necessary documents to ensure that the public can actually see and feel the benefits of the projects being implemented,” Lopez said.

Lopez said his predecessor, former Public Works Secretary and now Department of Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon, introduced reforms to ensure transparency in infrastructure spending.

“Secretary Vince Dizon ensured that projects included in the government’s budget would be transparent, which is why we must implement them properly and correctly,” Lopez said.

Among the reforms introduced by Dizon was the requirement for infrastructure projects to submit supporting documents before inclusion in the National Expenditure Program.

These include an approved program of work, validated geotagged photographs, Budget Preparation 202 compliance, a Certificate of Implementability, and a master plan, feasibility study, endorsement from the Regional Development Council or Local Development Council, or a Certificate of Non-Objection.

On Tuesday, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian announced that the Senate would remove P8.84 billion in 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 worth a total of P8.84 billion were either noncompliant or lacked the required supporting documents.