THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is seeking for the restoration of the deducted amounts from its proposed 2026 budget due to the restorations in the Construction Materials Price Data (CMPD).
In a statement on Saturday, December 13, 2025, the agency asked that it be allowed to implement the project costs changes using the updated CMPD Special Issuance, in the exercise of its executive functions, in order to ensure its proper execution.
“The motion for reconsideration is made to ensure that the detailed process of applying the new CMPD will be followed to avoid inaccurate costing and potential project unimplementability which may lead to underspending, and related legal and administrative issues,” the agency said.
CMPD is an official, regularly updated price list for various construction materials like aggregates, cement, asphalt published by the DPWH to standardize costs for government infrastructure projects, ensuring transparency and efficiency, with data collected from different regions and suppliers.
In line with the request, the DPWH issued an order to ensure that the DPWH Implementing Offices will strictly comply with the updated CMPD.
The order strictly mandates the following:
* Follow a workflow to adjust all Pay Items in the Programs of Work
(POW) using the updated CMPD;
* Revise all Approved Budgets for the Contracts (ABCs);
* Require detailed documentation and quality assurance, and;
Mandatory compliance prior to procurement
“The Department assures the Senate and the House of Representatives that the updated CMPD will be strictly implemented at the Regional and District Engineering Offices and that failure to comply with this Order shall be subject to administrative sanctions under existing Civil Service and Department rules, as well as filing of appropriate administrative and/or criminal charges under relevant laws,” it added.
The Senate significantly cut down the DPWH’s budget from P624.48 billion in the House of Representatives’ version to P570.48 billion.
In the 2026 National Expenditures Program, the DPWH requested for P881,312,559,000 budget for the upcoming year.
The DPWH is in hot water over the loss of billions worth of public funds into anomalous flood control projects.
This has prompted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to conduct an in-depth investigation on the irregularities in the flood-mitigating projects.
In October, Marcos Jr. ordered all government agencies, not just the DPWH, to cut down project costs by at least 50 percent to make no room for overpricing and corruption.
Marcos said savings from the reduction of project costs, including that of farm-to-market roads, irrigation, classrooms, and hospitals, will be used for socio-economic programs such as for health, education, and food.
He said the government is expected to generate at least P30 billion to P45 billion if the cost of public infrastructure projects are reduced.
The Senate has approved the proposed P6.793-trillion national budget for fiscal year 2026.
The bicameral conference committee started on Saturday, December 14, the deliberation to reconcile the differences of their respective versions. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)