Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said Friday he would get rid of the flagged errors and questionable entries in the proposed P881.3 billion budget for the DPWH for 2026.
“The President has already instructed me, and if it is necessary to change the entire budget of the DPWH… I will do that and I will relay it to our members of Congress,” Dizon told reporters on the sidelines of the agency’s budget briefing at the House of Representatives.
“I will ask for time — even just a week to review and fix this, and if necessary, reduce it,” he added.
Dizon made the statement after House leaders led by Deputy Speaker and Antipolo City Rep. Ronaldo Puno threated to return to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the proposed P6.7 trillion National Expenditures Program (NEP) for 2026.
House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing earlier already ruled out the option of returning the 2026 NEP to the executive branch and said they will extend Dizon the courtesy of letting him resolve the issues in the DPWH budget.
Dizon acknowledged that the lawmakers’ concerns were “valid” and their inputs are welcome amid the “sweeping reforms” he is trying to implement in the department. He said the DPWH would plug the loopholes in its proposed budget during its ongoing review process with the DBM.
“If the projects are completed, there is no need for the allocation. There should be no double entry… and so I am asking for more time from this honorable Committee on Appropriations,” he said. “As much as possible, the red flags that have been pointed out by our Congress, we will remove them.”
