MANILA, Philippines — Senate Finance Committee Chairman JV Ejercito flagged P8.2 billion in flood management projects that allegedly failed to comply with documentary requirements, along with other red flags in the proposed 2027 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Ejercito raised the concerns during the recent Senate budget hearing, calling for stronger safeguards to ensure that infrastructure spending supports economic recovery while protecting public funds.
The DPWH has a proposed budget of P643 billion for 2027 under the National Expenditure Program.
“We need to boost our infrastructure spending, but not at the expense of the reforms we want to be instituted. Every delayed project has an economic cost. And every anomalous, poorly vetted project costs us even more: it wastes taxpayers' money, deprives endangered communities of safety, and erodes public trust,” Ejercito said.
“Infrastructure spending has a significant multiplier effect on the economy, creating jobs, improving connectivity, attracting investments and stimulating economic activity,” he added.
An initial review by Ejercito’s office of 1,256 projects under the DPWH Flood Management Program found that 155 projects worth P8.2 billion either failed to comply with or had incomplete mandatory documentary requirements, including geotagged photographs, Certificates of Implementability and Programs of Work.
"We acknowledge the reforms that the good Secretary (Vince Dizon) has tried to institute. But in our initial review of some DPWH projects, we noticed what appeared to be several questionable items that we consider red flags," the senator said.
Ejercito identified three major red flags in the proposed DPWH budget: budget items with vague descriptions labeled merely as “various projects”; lump-sum and “clustered projects” without clear implementation details; and missing or inconsistent project limits, including items with no stated dates or costs.
Reflecting on the controversies surrounding flood control projects, Ejercito said that infrastructure spending must not remain paralyzed.
"The flood control corruption scandal should be treated as a temporary speed bump. We acknowledge the filing of cases in the name of accountability. Those responsible should indeed be held accountable. However, the controversy should not become a reason to completely halt infrastructure development," he said.
Ejercito urged the DPWH to address the identified red flags before the proposed budget reaches the Senate plenary.
“We need to strike a balance for this budget season, give utmost importance to accountability, but at the same time accelerate public spending to improve our economic growth,” he said.
