Gatchalian: Senate will axe P8.8B infra projects from 2027 budget

 

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate will remove 295 unsupported infrastructure projects worth P8.836 billion from the proposed 2027 national budget, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said Tuesday.

According to Gatchalian, the projects lack documentation, based on the evaluation conducted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

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“The Senate is committed unequivocally in weeding out unsubstantiated line items, including those lacking concrete and verifiable technical support, to ensure that every item in the final version is shovel-ready,” Gatchalian said.

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“Unverifiable line items will not receive a single peso of public funding,” he added in a statement.

His remarks came following the receipt of a letter from former DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon that identified 295 “non-compliant” projects per the agency’s evaluation.

Previously, Gatchalian identified eight types of budgetary red flags during the Senate hearing on the DPWH’s proposed 2027 budget last Sept. 25.

READ: Senate leaders vow removal of budget items not supported by documents

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At the hearing, Gatchalian disclosed that 7,107, or more than 62%, of the 11,395 infrastructure projects reviewed by his office had at least one major budgetary red flag.

These included projects without station numbers and geographical coordinates, lump-sum allocations, overlapping or fragmented projects, and those with conflicting descriptions of work.

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Meanwhile, Gatchalian said the Senate would not allocate funds to infrastructure projects that lack the necessary technical documentation.

“Malinaw ang mandato ng Senado, kung walang kaukulang dokumento, walang pondo,” he said.

(“The Senate’s mandate is clear, if there is no documentation, there will be no allocation.”)

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He added that the Senate must ensure that public funds are protected from abuse, particularly as the economy continues to face challenges and every peso is needed to stimulate growth. /ms