Senate can refuse DPWH budget, return to exec for amendments — Aquino
MANILA, Philippines — The alleged corruption in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is enough reason for the Senate to reject its current proposed budget and return it to the executive branch, Sen. Bam Aquino said on Tuesday, September 2.
The DPWH is in the midst of a massive overhaul following the resignation of DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan and his replacement by former Transport Secretary Vince Dizon. Bonoan reportedly resigned to take responsibility for the alleged corruption in the DPWH in connection with ghost flood control projects.
The National Expenditure Program (NEP) 2026 (proposed budget), which was already submitted to Congress, however, was formed during Bonoan’s time.
“Let’s refuse to accept this DPWH budget, Mister Chairman. There’s an ongoing probe, these projects are being studied. There are so many questions, so many red flags that you have already pointed out with Sen. Lacson,” Aquino said during the Senate Committee on Finance’s briefing.
“Huwag po natin tanggapin, ibalik po natin ito sa executive,” he said. (Let’s not accept it and return it to the executive.)
Aquino said that the executive has four months to sort it out and return it to Congress.
It was admittedly out of the ordinary, Aquino said. However, the circumstances surrounding the DPWH’s budget this year were extraordinary.
The House of Representatives, the Senate, within the DPWH, as well as an independent group will investigate the flood controls.
“The output of that investigation should come back to us as proposed amendments and where we can amend the DPWH budget,” Aquino said, adding that it was difficult to push through with a budget that was filled with problems.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said that such an action was not in the Constitution.
“The budget process is that the executive proposes and then the legislative can amend,” she said.
Pangandaman also said that she has spoken to Dizon, who said that the agency is double-checking which projects are still necessary.
Sen. Loren Legarda suggested a complete deletion of the DPWH budget.
“We can actually delete the whole DPWH budget, don’t be shocked… and allow the new secretary to do a new budget so he will submit a supplemental budget. That is allowed by the process,” Legarda suggested.
On the other hand, Legarda also said that the House of Representatives can propose an errata to their respective districts so that the red-flagged projects like flood control can be converted elsewhere, either within DPWH or even another department,” she added.
However, Legarda also said that the Senate could still enact changes of its own. She raised President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s warning of lawmakers keeping their hands off the NEP.
Pangandaman explained, however, that it will no longer be the NEP that reaches the Senate, but the General Appropriations Bill from the House of Representatives. She also acknowledged Marcos’ NEP warning but said that Dizon would issue a department errata, which would be provided to the House. It is then up to the House if they will approve it. This is based on practice and tradition, not on a specific law, she added.
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