Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and newly appointed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon agreed on Wednesday to complete the review of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) proposed 2026 budget within two weeks.
The move follows President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to revisit the DPWH budget under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) due to alleged inconsistencies and double entries in project listings.
In a press conference at the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) office, Dizon welcomed the President’s order, saying he is still “unfamiliar” with the processing of budget allocation for thousands of DPWH projects.
“Tingin ko lang kailangan meron itong deadline kasi limitado ang ating oras. Importanteng mapasa natin itong budget na ito. Hindi lang ito budget ng DPWH kundi budget ng buong gobyerno,” Dizon said.
Dizon and Pangandaman agreed to a two-week deadline, emphasizing that the process could take less time if completed efficiently. The DBM and DPWH will begin reviewing projects flagged by Congress.
House leaders earlier recommended returning the 2026 NEP to the DBM and temporarily suspending budget deliberations until all “erroneous entries” are corrected.
Pangandaman expressed confidence that the review will be completed before the deadline and assured Congress of a revised budget list.
“Ipapadala natin sa kanila ‘yung bagong listahan, ‘yung mga changes na mangyayari doon. Sa tingin po namin mas madali yan na proseso at procedure kaysa magbalikan tayong ganyan. Kasi never pa po siya nangyari,” Pangandaman said.
She added that the DPWH’s proposed budget may be reduced, depending on the findings of the review.
Pangandaman also noted that while the DBM is prepared for a reenacted budget, it prefers to work closely with Congress to avoid economic slowdown.
“Dito naman sa DBM, ready. I think ginagawa na nila ang guidelines, assuming na magkaroon tayo ng reenacted budget. Pero syempre, ‘di ba nga sinabi natin na ‘yung reenacted budget magko-cause ng downturn ng ating ekonomiya,” she said.
“Ayaw naman nating masira ang trajectory natin. Mabilis ang andar ng ekonomiya natin. Gusto pa nating bumilis, lalo na itong last three years ng administrasyon at ng ating Pangulong Bongbong Marcos,” she added.
