President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to thoroughly review the proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 national budget to identify and strike out alleged insertions and duplicate projects.
“The President and the DBM will study this carefully. If there are duplications or insertions, they should be removed through errata,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro told reporters Wednesday.
“The DPWH and DBM will review everything to determine if projects are genuinely duplicated or just different phases of the same program,” she added.
Castro explained that the issue surfaced after lawmakers raised red flags on certain flood control projects. Some may appear identical on paper, she said, but could actually represent different stages of ongoing infrastructure programs.
The review, she added, will separate legitimate phased projects from questionable duplications.
Senator Panfilo Lacson recently warned of a P51.82-billion “insertion” in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), describing it as a potential source of ghost projects.
Meanwhile, Senator Erwin Tulfo also cited reports of possible irregular allocations in Kalinga and Apayao.
Castro stressed that the Palace wants the errata process to correct errors before the budget reaches final deliberations.
“That is precisely why there are budget hearings, to remove what should not be there,” she said.
She assured the review would be completed quickly to prevent delays in congressional debates.
“The President does not want a reenacted budget,” Castro said, noting that Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon were instructed to finish the review without prolonging deliberations.
If confirmed, the removal of duplicate projects would reduce the proposed budget and updated figures would be submitted to Congress. Mr. Marcos, Castro added, is prepared to veto any questionable appropriations that slip through the process.
