MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said the 2026 national budget will no longer carry new allocations for flood control projects, saying the PHP350 billion in funds from 2025 remain unspent.
Speaking in his latest podcast episode aired Monday, Marcos said the Department of Budget and Management and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will resend to Congress the revised budget proposal for 2026.
“Number one, we already are seeing na lahat ng flood control project na dapat ilalagay sa 2026 na budget, hindi na siguro kailangan. So, there will be no budget for 2026 for flood control. Dahil mayroon naman PHP350 billion for 2025 na hindi pa nauubos talaga (We already see that all flood control projects meant for the 2026 budget may no longer be necessary. So, there will be no flood control budget in 2026 because there is still P350 billion from 2025 that remain unspent),” Marcos said.
Flood control projects would continue but with stricter scrutiny, he assured.
“Ibig sabihin, titiyakin na ngayon natin na ang pag-gastos tama, ang pag-implement tama, maayos ang design (It means we will now make sure that spending is proper, implementation is correct and design is sound),” he said.
Marcos added that contractors must fix their defective projects “at their cost” before the government considers further engagement.
The President also dismissed calls by some lawmakers to “return to sender” the proposed 2026 National Expenditure Program, saying only the DPWH budget would be revised. (PNA)