Photo courtesy of Philippine News Agency (PNA).
Acting Budget Secretary Rolando Toledo on Tuesday said the 2026 national budget will not fund new flood control initiatives.
He explained that the P4.7 billion earmarked for flood control is intended only to complete ongoing foreign-assisted projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways with existing loan agreements.
“To be clear, these funds are for projects already underway and not for starting new programs,” Toledo said.
The announcement comes amid ongoing investigations into alleged irregularities and corruption involving previous flood control projects and budget insertions linked to some public officials.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the P6.793-trillion national budget into law, vetoing nearly P92.5 billion in unprogrammed items to ensure spending aligns with priority programs.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said only three items remain under unprogrammed appropriations: foreign-assisted projects at P97.3 billion, the revised AFP Modernization Program at P50 billion, and the Risk Management Program at P3.6 billion.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) noted that unprogrammed appropriations have fallen to P150.9 billion, the lowest since 2019, and described them as contingency funds that can be used only if additional revenue or loans are available.