00:00The 2026 General Appropriations Bill just hurdled the Senate's second review and no agency outlay request was scrutinized and vetted more than the Public Works and Highways Office.
00:11Insertion proof and absolutely free from flood control projects, says the former Senate President, while Senate Blue Ribbon Chair claims having flagged and reducted duplicate line items.
00:22Our Luis Arisbe has more on the drastically reduced DPWH budget for next year in this report.
00:30The proposed budget for the Department of Public Works and Highways for fiscal year 2026 has been approved by the Senate.
00:39The proposed budget amounts to P568 billion.
00:42But before it was deemed submitted for the bicameral conference, the budget was highly scrutinized by the Senators.
00:49First was Senator Cheese Escudero who made sure that there are no allocated funds for the flood control projects.
00:56Magkaano po yung kabuhuang flood control funds na tinanggal mula sa panukalang NEP?
01:03Mga 255 billion, Mr. President.
01:06255 billion.
01:08At sa magiging panukala ng kagalang-galang na chairman ng komite, ito'y nilagay presumably sa mga mas makabuluhang mga proyekto ayon sa mga panukala ng ating mga vice chairman.
01:20Halimbawa, sa edukasyon, sa health at iba pang mga kahalintulad ng mga departamento o mga gawain.
01:28Escudero praised the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the filing of a complaint by the DPWH and the Independent Commission for Infrastructure or ICI against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, former Representative Zaldico, and others.
01:44Binabati ko po ang administrasyon dahil sa hindi sila sumunod o nagpadala sa anumang script o saruswela para magkaroon ng diversyon at ilihis ang tunay ng mga salarin.
01:55Tulad ng nasabi ko po na ako ay unang huling tumayo at nagsalita dito sa Senado.
02:02Ayon mismo kay Secretary Dizon, sinundan, wala silang sinundang script at base sa kautosan ng Pangulo, sinundan lamang nila kung saan sila dinadala ng ebidensya.
02:13At dahil nga dito, sinampahan na po si Naamco, Romualdez, Alcantara, Bernardo, Hernandez, at iba pa.
02:21But even if the budget was free of any allocations for flood control projects,
02:26Senate President Pro Tempore Pan Filolaxon saw possible double appropriations and duplicate programs in the budget of the DPWH.
02:35This is under the Convergence in Special Support Program or CSSP.
02:39Aside from the questionable ballooning of the allocated funds for the program to 39.6% from the General Appropriations Bill
02:47to the National Expenditure Program, there are two programs under the CSSP that clearly shows duplicate projects.
02:55Paano natin i-explain ito na pareon-pareon nomenclature?
02:58Magkabukod pa yung kanilang budget, yung funding.
03:01The CIPAG has 69.735 billion pesos allocation on the NEP, but it increased to 111.03 billion on the House General Appropriations Bill.
03:13This amount was cut in the Senate by 1 billion pesos.
03:17The possible duplicate program was VIP with 60.38 billion pesos, which became 90 billion pesos on the House version,
03:25but Senate decreased the budget to 2 billion pesos.
03:28If based on the 2025 GA, both programs have the same projects.
03:33Loxon suggested this should be rectified.
03:36I hope ma-rectify kasi I can go on and on and on.
03:40Marami pang projects and I hope Secretary Vince will just take a look at all the project titles,
03:48especially yung either exactly the same or pinage one place to pa.
03:53The DPWH swore to look into the said projects.
03:56Luisa Erispe from the National TV Network for a new and better Philippines.
Be the first to comment