Senate to slash P8.8B from 2027 budget over missing papers
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian announced plans to remove billions in unsupported infrastructure projects from the proposed 2027 national budget following an agency evaluation.
At a glance
- Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian announced the removal of P8.836 billion in infrastructure projects from the proposed 2027 budget.
- The cuts follow findings by former DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon that 295 projects lacked proper documentation.
- Civil society groups have separately flagged over P1 trillion in potential budgetary red flags in the wider P7.2-trillion spending plan.
The Senate plans to strip billions of pesos from the upcoming national spending plan after discovering hundreds of public works initiatives lacked mandatory paperwork.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian stated on Tuesday that lawmakers would eliminate P8.836 billion in infrastructure projects from the proposed 2027 national budget due to incomplete paperwork originating from the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Unverified public works face funding axe
Gatchalian stated that the decision followed revelations from former DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, who found that 295 projects failed agency evaluations. The scrutiny began after Gatchalian highlighted eight categories of budgetary concerns during a Senate hearing in September.
According to Gatchalian, more than 62 percent of the 11,395 reviewed infrastructure projects exhibited major red flags. Issues ranged from missing geographical coordinates and station numbers to lump-sum allocations, conflicting work types, and overlapping initiatives.
Gatchalian emphasized that the chamber would refuse to allocate public money to items lacking verifiable technical support. Senator Panfilo Lacson added that the Senate majority bloc backs the effort to purge questionable allocations and increase transparency.
Broader concerns over spending transparency
The removal of billions in unsupported projects touches on long-standing debates regarding legislative oversight and fiscal discipline in national budgeting. With civil society groups separately pointing to trillions in potential discretionary items within the broader P7.2-trillion spending plan, the Senate's actions highlight growing pressure to tighten control over public funds during a period of sluggish economic growth. How strictly these vetting standards are applied during upcoming bicameral deliberations will signal lawmakers' appetite for systemic fiscal reform.
What to watch: Watch for the bicameral conference committee deliberations on the proposed 2027 national budget, where civil society organizations have been invited to observe.
Reporting from: GMA News. Spotted an error? Tell us.
- Philippine Senate
- National Budget
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- DPWH
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