Dizon open to reducing DPWH budget for 2026

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon has expressed openness to reducing the proposed P881.3-billion DPWH budget for 2026 as he vowed to review and correct questionable items flagged by lawmakers.

Ahead of the DPWH budget briefing before the House appropriations committee, Dizon yesterday said he would ask for a week to scrutinize the agency’s share in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

“The President ordered me to review this, and if we need to change the entire DPWH budget, I will do it and tell Congress,” Dizon said. “I will ask for time, even just one week, to review, fix and, if necessary, reduce the budget.”

House deputy speaker and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno earlier noted that the 2026 NEP included allocations for infrastructure projects already completed, while some continuing flood control projects did not receive funding.

Dizon admitted that the lawmakers’ concerns were “valid” and assured them that these would be addressed.

“If it’s completed, it should not be funded. There should be no double entries. That’s why I will ask time from the appropriations committee,” he said. “As much as possible, the red flags pointed out by Congress will be erased.”

Payments withheld

The DPWH has withheld payment to contractors, led by Wawao Builders and SYMS Construction Trading, with pending projects with the government.

During the hearing of the House committee on appropriations, Dizon told congressmen that he is conducting a meeting with the DPWH’s operations department to thresh out plans that would not leave the government at the losing end with the non-payment to those contractors that were perpetually disqualified by the agency earlier.

“I ordered to hold the payments to those companies if they are ongoing projects, but they have to finish the projects that are ongoing. We will talk in the operations department what will be our system, what we are going to do to continue the project,” Dizon said.

He said that for those completed projects which turned out to be “ghosts projects” and substandardly implemented, the only recourse of the government is to compel the contractors to pay for it.

“We will not accept it just like that. For those projects that are declared completed, but are actually not completed or ghost projects or substandard, we have to call in the warrantees, what will be the recourse of the government for the contractor to pay the projects that they left,” Dizon said. “It has to be the contractors to answer to that.”

Alcantara to face criminal raps

A dismissal was meted out immediately against former Bulacan 1st district engineer Henry Alcantara who was found guilty over anomalous flood control and infrastructure projects.

Dizon said Alcantara was found guilty of disloyalty to the Republic and the Filipino people, grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

Dizon further announced that the DPWH will recommend the filing of criminal charges against Alcantara and other individuals involved “to bring justice for the plunder of public funds.”

In a seven-page decision, Dizon said Alcantara’s failure to protect public interest led to the full payment of “ghost” projects – including a reinforced concrete river wall in Baliuag, Bulacan and a flood control structure in Barangay Perez, Bulacan town – even though no actual project had been completed.

The decision stemmed from a motu proprio complaint filed in August 2025 by then DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan, which led to Alcantara’s preventive suspension and investigation.

The ruling also imposed the penalty of dismissal from the service with perpetual disqualification from holding public office. “This decision is without prejudice to the filing of separate civil or criminal charges against him and his co-conspirators,” the order stated.

Dizon earlier identified former assistant district engineer Bryce Ericson Hernandez, construction section chief engineer Jaypee Mendoza and accountant Juanito Mendoza, all from the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, as next to face administrative and possible criminal cases.

DPWH records showed the contractor, Wawao Builders, had a revised contract price of P96.49 million for the Baliuag project. It was declared completed in June 2024 and paid in July 2024, but inspection revealed that construction only began weeks ago.

Dizon also ordered the perpetual blacklisting of Wawao Builders and said the agency is preparing to blacklist SYMS Construction Trading, contractor of another flood control project confirmed to be non-existent during a site visit by President Marcos.

Red flags

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday warned the DPWH that the Senate would remove P270 billion worth of flood control projects if it does not correct the “red flags” in the National Expenditure Program.

In a Zoom press briefing yesterday, Gatchalian said the P270-billion budget for 4,000 flood control projects – under the DPWH’s proposed 2026 budget of P881.3 billion – may be realigned to education if found to be anomalous.

Among the red flags are duplicitous or chopped-up project amounts, vague site locations and repeat appropriations for projects which already got funding in the previous outlay.

“As it is right now, if the budget plan remains this way, then we will not hesitate to remove the P270-billion DPWH flood control budget. The flood projects now are full of red flags and their credibility cannot be assured. So if we do not delete this, this could end up as ghost projects, which we want to avoid,” Gatchalian said.

He said the Senate would scrutinize the flood control budget before going into other infrastructure programs like roads, bridges and multipurpose buildings, which may also be graft-ridden.

Besides the flood control budget, Gatchalian said he is considering removing the unprogrammed appropriations but he has to consult with the Executive on the impact of deleting the standby funds.

In Congress, Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mikaela Suansing vowed yesterday that funds for flood control projects under the DPWH’s 2026 budget will only go to flood-prone and critical areas in the country.

“Let’s take out the subjectiveness on project identification. Instead, let us use an objective-criteria by setting clear parameters, ensuring that all projects funded under the 2026 NEP are based on clear feasibility studies and are based on science, based on facts. Let us use a science-based approach,” Suansing said.

The lawmaker said only those indicated as red zones based on the flood hazard map of Project NOAH should be allowed. “We must ensure that all of us, each centavo that we will entrust to the DPWH will go to projects and areas that really need it,” she added. — Jose Rodel Clapano, Marc Jayson Cayabyab