Marcos to choose which sectors will benefit from DPWH budget cut
President Marcos would be the one to recommend which sectors would receive the funds to be cut from the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday.
Mr. Marcos earlier ruled out funding for flood control program next year under the DWPH budget as part of the government’s efforts to eliminate anomalous and problematic line items in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Under the 2026 NEP, the DPWH asked Congress for a P250.8-billion budget for its flood mitigation program.
“I think the President will be the one to give a recommendation to Congress once he knows what can be cut from the DPWH budget,” Dizon said in an interview with dzMM Teleradyo when asked to which sectors the money would be allocated.
“These includes education, agriculture, health care, which are the President’s priorities,” he added.
The House committee on appropriations gave the DPWH until Monday to submit revisions to its proposed P881.3-billion budget for next year. It also rescheduled the agency’s budget hearing on Wednesday.
This came after Dizon asked for more time to submit all amendments to the agency’s budget plan, “considering the volume of items and documents requiring review, together with other matters that must likewise be addressed.”
The DPWH, along with the Department of Budget and Management, agreed to review its budget proposal for 2026 after lawmakers pointed to several line items that were either redundant, duplicated, or allocated for projects that were already deemed completed.
The DPWH budget, particularly the funding for flood control projects, came under close scrutiny following allegations that its corrupt officials colluded with some private contractors and government officials to pocket billions of pesos that should have been spent on flood mitigation infrastructure.
