MANILA, Philippines -- At least 295 infrastructure projects worth ₱8.8 billion from the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) proposed budget were dropped because of incomplete supporting documents, Secretary Giovanni Lopez saod on Thursday.
Lopez's disclosure comes as the Marcos administration tightens its grip on public infrastructure spending, with the DPWH inspecting government projects weekly and warning officials against neglecting defects,hoping to weed out intiatives lacking mandatory documentation from the 2027 national budget.
In a memorandum dated Nov. 11, 2026, the DPWH directed all regional directors and district engineers to inspect infrastructure under their respective jurisdictions to identify defects and deficiencies, ensure immediate corrective action, monitor ongoing projects and track the timely implementation of maintenance and other public works.
The directive requires officials to submit monthly inspection and status reports no later than the fifth day of the succeeding month.
Regional directors must consolidate and review the reports before submitting them to the concerned undersecretary for regional operations, with a copy furnished to the Office of the Secretary.
The DPWH also requires regional directors and district engineers to document their personal participation in inspections through geotagged and time-stamped photographs.
But the agency stressed that officials must not wait for the monthly reporting deadline to address problems requiring urgent intervention.
“Any identified defect or deficiency requiring immediate intervention shall be acted upon without delay, without waiting for the submission of the monthly report,” the memorandum stated.
Officials who fail to comply with the inspection and reporting requirements, or unjustifiably delay corrective action, may face appropriate administrative or disciplinary action, including applicable sanctions.
The directive is anchored on existing DPWH policies on the maintenance of national roads and bridges, as well as roadwork safety, traffic management and construction safety requirements.
The intensified monitoring comes amid the administration’s broader efforts to tighten scrutiny of infrastructure spending and prevent questionable or undocumented projects from receiving government funding.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed that infrastructure projects with incomplete documentation must not be included in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Lopez said his predecessor, Vince Dizon, had identified and removed 295 infrastructure projects worth ₱8.8 billion from the department’s proposed budget because of incomplete supporting documents.
The move was intended to prevent irregularities and ensure that government-funded projects were properly documented and can actually be implemented.
