{ "hearing": { "hearing_id": 51, "title": "Senate Committee on Finance: DPWH - September 25, 2026", "hearing_date": "2026-09-25", "official_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqAWD5-OvJw" }, "digest_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/digests/h51/", "notice": "AI-assisted working draft. AI can make errors. Always verify consequential interpretations and wording against the cited transcript and official video.", "at_a_glance": [ { "label": "Project selection and accountability", "text": "Members pressed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), led by Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon, on flood-control red flags, project documentation, feasibility and project limits. The department described tighter screening and accountability rules; later reviews and validations remained necessary for flagged projects.", "citations": [] }, { "label": "Flood risk and community needs", "text": "Questions addressed unfinished flood-control works, drainage and river-basin planning, coastal and urban protection, the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network's alignment and permit questions, roads and bridges, evacuation centers, classrooms and access to local services. DPWH described works and plans while promising additional reports and follow-up for several locations.", "citations": [] }, { "label": "Implementation, oversight and equity", "text": "Members examined procurement delays, utilization and returned funds, right-of-way obligations, engineering capacity and regional distribution. The Commission on Audit (COA) observations and transparency questions were among the matters DPWH was asked to answer for plenary; members also called for the same project vetting on proposed congressional amendments.", "citations": [] } ], "method_note": "Use the cited transcript and official video to review figures, speaker claims and promised follow-up.", "sections": [ { "key": "budget-summary", "label": "Agency budget summary", "items": [ { "label": "Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)", "text": "For FY 2027, the DPWH National Expenditure Program (NEP) proposed allocation is PHP 643.95 billion. The hearing did not state DPWH's original aggregate submission to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Later program-specific funding requests raised during the hearing are separate from that original submission and do not supply a comparable agency-wide request total.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000321", "start_seconds": 2109.96, "clock": "00:35:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000321" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000322", "start_seconds": 2112.78, "clock": "00:35:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000322" } ] } ] }, { "key": "budget-department-of-public-works-and-highways-dpwh", "label": "Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget", "items": [ { "label": "Flood-project allocations and documentation concerns", "text": "Senator Joseph Victor \"JV\" G. Ejercito said his initial review found that 155 of 1,256 projects under the FY 2027 flood-management program, with allocations totaling PHP 8.2 billion, lacked or had not complied with Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) requirements. He also cited budget items described only as \"various projects,\" lump sums without clear implementation details, clustered projects, inconsistent or missing project limits, and projects without dates or costs. He called these red flags and argued that infrastructure spending should increase without weakening reforms or accountability.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000091", "start_seconds": 1431.12, "clock": "00:23:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000091" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000092", "start_seconds": 1437.04, "clock": "00:23:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000092" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000093", "start_seconds": 1440.0, "clock": "00:24:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000093" } ] }, { "label": "FY 2027 program allocations", "text": "The largest listed component was the National Road Program (Code 001), at approximately PHP 200 billion for the national road and bridge networks. Foreign-assisted projects funded through government borrowing from lenders such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) were the second-largest group; the third-largest component was the Basic Infrastructure Program (BIP) for local buildings, roads, bridges and facilities.\n\nDPWH placed PHP 83.84 billion in locally funded flood mitigation under Code 002, with another PHP 19 billion in foreign-assisted flood management projects, including the Manggahan Floodway and Marikina flood-mitigation work. Dizon gave the combined flood-management total as PHP 103 billion. He contrasted the proposed local flood-control allocation with local flood-control spending in 2024 and 2025, which he described as more than PHP 300 billion or PHP 350 billion; his wording gives an approximate range rather than one reconciled figure.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000319", "start_seconds": 2105.56, "clock": "00:35:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000319" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000344", "start_seconds": 2154.72, "clock": "00:35:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000344" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000450", "start_seconds": 2373.46, "clock": "00:39:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000450" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000453", "start_seconds": 2379.62, "clock": "00:39:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000453" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000467", "start_seconds": 2406.6, "clock": "00:40:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000467" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000478", "start_seconds": 2428.94, "clock": "00:40:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000478" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000477", "start_seconds": 2426.66, "clock": "00:40:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000477" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000451", "start_seconds": 2375.84, "clock": "00:39:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000451" } ] }, { "label": "Project selection and convergence-program changes", "text": "Dizon said DPWH had discarded the parametric formula previously used to prepare project priorities. For FY 2027, district and regional offices were directed first to finish unfinished projects, then fund repair and maintenance of critical infrastructure, close gaps in incomplete systems such as flood-control works and bypass roads, and address immediate community needs through basic infrastructure.\n\nDPWH moved the former SIPAG projects into BIP and said it had removed other convergence programs from its budget so the responsible departments could identify their own priorities. Tourism-related roads were to be lodged with the Department of Tourism (DOT), roads leading to airports or ports with the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and roads leading to economic zones with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); the former TICAS program of the Department of National Defense (DND) had already been removed. Those agencies could still ask DPWH to implement a project through a memorandum of agreement and transfer funds after enactment. The presentation said the remaining DPWH programs included water systems under the Rainwater Collection and Springs Development Act, the Quick Response Fund for calamities, and Ligtas Pinoy Centers.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000553", "start_seconds": 2581.12, "clock": "00:43:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000553" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000391", "start_seconds": 2251.4, "clock": "00:37:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000391" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000489", "start_seconds": 2451.4, "clock": "00:40:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000489" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000806", "start_seconds": 3085.74, "clock": "00:51:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000806" } ] }, { "label": "Project count and regional allocation", "text": "Despite a roughly 20% increase in DPWH's FY 2027 budget over FY 2026, Dizon said the number of projects fell to more than 11,000 from more than 25,000 in 2024 and 2025. He attributed the decline to stricter requirements and prioritization of larger and more important projects.\n\nThe regional allocation was 20% for the Visayas and a little over 27%, close to 28%, for Mindanao. Luzon's share fell from 57% to 52.6%; Dizon said the National Capital Region (NCR) share also declined but did not give its percentage.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000855", "start_seconds": 3184.06, "clock": "00:53:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000855" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000867", "start_seconds": 3208.76, "clock": "00:53:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000867" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000869", "start_seconds": 3212.46, "clock": "00:53:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000869" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000901", "start_seconds": 3276.84, "clock": "00:54:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000901" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000904", "start_seconds": 3282.94, "clock": "00:54:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000904" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000899", "start_seconds": 3273.24, "clock": "00:54:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000899" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000902", "start_seconds": 3278.84, "clock": "00:54:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000902" } ] }, { "label": "2026 procurement and implementation status", "text": "Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon reported that implementation had fallen behind in 2026. He attributed the delay to the absence of DPWH's usual early procurement, with allotment releases arriving only in late May or early June; stricter procurement documentation; and changes at the Department of Trade and Industry's Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB), where more than 1,500 contractor licenses remained pending. He said contractors without current licenses could not bid or receive awards, forcing some bidding processes to restart. Dizon said DPWH would work with PCAB to speed licensing.\n\nDizon reported that 13,553 of 17,765 nationwide projects, or 76% by project count, had been awarded or completed procurement and were awaiting formal award under the election ban. He said the President had signed the postponement of barangay elections, but publication was still pending before awards could proceed. Separately, he said 66% of DPWH's 2026 capital-outlay allocation, PHP 305.79 billion of PHP 459 billion, had been awarded. He explained that the percentages differed because large consolidated projects, including Maharlika Highway segments, remained in procurement. Some Special Allotment Release Orders (SAROs) were still pending completion of procurement requirements; Dizon said DPWH expected to release them soon, begin bidding and monitor implementation. He also acknowledged low budget utilization due to delayed procurement.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001200", "start_seconds": 4365.24, "clock": "01:12:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001200" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001253", "start_seconds": 4552.94, "clock": "01:15:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001253" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001256", "start_seconds": 4558.74, "clock": "01:15:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001256" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001257", "start_seconds": 4561.08, "clock": "01:16:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001257" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001263", "start_seconds": 4573.7, "clock": "01:16:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001263" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001286", "start_seconds": 4619.98, "clock": "01:16:59", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001286" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001288", "start_seconds": 4625.04, "clock": "01:17:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001288" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001297", "start_seconds": 4642.92, "clock": "01:17:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001297" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001298", "start_seconds": 4645.42, "clock": "01:17:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001298" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001300", "start_seconds": 4648.78, "clock": "01:17:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001300" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001275", "start_seconds": 4599.12, "clock": "01:16:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001275" } ] }, { "label": "Ligtas Pinoy evacuation centers", "text": "DPWH OIC Undersecretary Lara Marisse I. Esquibil explained that under the Ligtas Pinoy Center Act (Republic Act 12076), the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), through the Office of Civil Defense, identifies and prioritizes sites, while DPWH builds the centers. Based on the NDRRMC's five-year implementation plan, DPWH proposed two Ligtas Pinoy Centers in each region for 2027.\n\nThe stated standard building-construction allocation is PHP 75 million per center. Some mountainous sites, including locations in Kalinga and Abra, may require up to PHP 90 million for site development, hauling and other location-specific requirements. The standard design calls for a 3,000-square-meter lot, a 1,445-square-meter building footprint and 1,657 square meters of gross floor area, accommodating 530 people, or roughly 106 five-person families.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001361", "start_seconds": 4770.42, "clock": "01:19:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001361" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001380", "start_seconds": 4808.28, "clock": "01:20:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001380" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001386", "start_seconds": 4820.42, "clock": "01:20:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001386" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001375", "start_seconds": 4798.3, "clock": "01:19:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001375" } ] }, { "label": "Urgent road, drainage, bridge and pumping-station needs", "text": "Dizon requested PHP 700 million for repair, reconstruction or construction at road slips and collapses, including slope protection on primary and secondary national roads. He described recurring failures, including a collapse on the road between Bukidnon and Davao, which he said was not caused by a typhoon and had been repaired using savings. He said the Quick Response Fund (QRF) could not cover that repair because it was not a disaster. He also described a vessel striking the Navotas seawall, which led to severe flooding; because it was a man-made event, QRF and disaster funds were unavailable, so DPWH used savings to repair the damage. He cited a similar seawall problem in Legazpi City, Albay.\n\nDizon said DPWH sought the same PHP 700 million amount for critical drainage repairs or upgrades outside routine maintenance and for road-safety measures during the months before contractors can repair dangerous road damage. He invited the Senate to add safeguards for these requests and said DPWH would follow them.\n\nDPWH also requested PHP 500 million to replace bridges deemed immediately necessary. Dizon cited the collapse of the old Pigatan Bridge and a temporary replacement at Kabagan-Santa Maria Bridge while a Commission on Audit case and investigation remained unresolved. He said 600 of DPWH's 9,000 bridges had capacity below 10 tons, and described temporary replacements able to carry vehicles up to 40 tons. DPWH separately sought an unspecified lump sum to retrofit or strengthen permanent bridges while replacement funding is pending.\n\nDizon then requested PHP 150 million for urgent rehabilitation of pumping stations. He said 35 of 71 stations in the National Capital Region were inoperable when he arrived and DPWH had repaired 19 using savings and other sources. The request covered stations nationwide, including areas such as Bulacan, Pampanga and urban areas in the Visayas.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001464", "start_seconds": 4975.86, "clock": "01:22:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001464" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001579", "start_seconds": 5196.54, "clock": "01:26:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001579" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001620", "start_seconds": 5278.24, "clock": "01:27:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001620" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001668", "start_seconds": 5373.8, "clock": "01:29:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001668" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001777", "start_seconds": 5554.9, "clock": "01:32:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001777" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001828", "start_seconds": 5614.76, "clock": "01:33:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001828" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001861", "start_seconds": 5662.56, "clock": "01:34:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001861" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001458", "start_seconds": 4965.3, "clock": "01:22:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001458" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001824", "start_seconds": 5610.36, "clock": "01:33:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001824" } ] }, { "label": "Flood-control, access and public-building proposals; QRF constraints", "text": "Dizon described Oplan Kontrabaha as a nationwide dredging and desilting effort, saying river siltation contributed to overflow and flooding and that the program was not a regular DPWH budget item. He said the proposed amount was still insufficient. Esquibil added that the department's PHP 1 billion replenishable QRF was helpful during repeated disasters, but DPWH could not replenish it until a project was awarded, completed, used or disbursed. Dizon asked the committee to help DPWH and the Department of Budget and Management reconsider that policy because repeated disasters were slowing the department's response.\n\nEsquibil described additional proposed lump sums for urgent local and national building repairs, electric-vehicle charging stations required for the department's fleet, and retrofitting public buildings, mainly hospitals in Metro Manila and the greater metropolitan area, in preparation for a major earthquake. She also identified last-mile access roads or bridges to strategic public facilities, especially schools. Dizon said these were proposals based on DPWH's operational challenges and submitted them for the committee and Senate to consider.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001877", "start_seconds": 5688.86, "clock": "01:34:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001877" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001977", "start_seconds": 5821.16, "clock": "01:37:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001977" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002067", "start_seconds": 5918.42, "clock": "01:38:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002067" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002123", "start_seconds": 5983.68, "clock": "01:39:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002123" } ] }, { "label": "Classroom delivery and procurement sequencing", "text": "DPWH Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon reported on the Department of Education's (DepEd) Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF) classroom program. For the 2025 program of 5,000 classrooms, DPWH had completed 2,615 as of August 31 and expected about 485 more by the end of September. He committed to finish the full 5,000 by the end of 2026. Dizon said late identification of school sites, geotechnical studies and a memorandum of agreement signed only in August in prior years had delayed procurement; in 2026, the agreement was signed in April and procurement began in August.\n\nFor the 2026 BEFF, Dizon said DPWH would build 6,000 classrooms, with other classrooms expected through public-private partnerships or local government units. Of DPWH's 6,000, Dizon corrected an initial figure of 1,531 to 192 awarded, 1,934 advertised, 1,536 in pre-procurement and 2,338 still being programmed. He suggested line-iteming classroom locations in DepEd's National Expenditure Program so sites could be identified earlier, which he said would speed procurement and improve transparency. He promised continuing feedback.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002365", "start_seconds": 6297.52, "clock": "01:44:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002365" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002197", "start_seconds": 6077.24, "clock": "01:41:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002197" } ] }, { "label": "Right-of-way obligations", "text": "Dizon said DPWH's outstanding right-of-way obligations totaled PHP 85 billion, compared with an average annual right-of-way budget of PHP 2.73 billion. He broke the obligations into PHP 9.85 billion with court orders, PHP 28.74 billion for ongoing projects and PHP 46 billion for completed projects.\n\nHe noted that the government pays interest each year on delayed court-ordered payments and asked Congress to consider how to protect funds and address the issue.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002431", "start_seconds": 6425.82, "clock": "01:47:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002431" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002436", "start_seconds": 6435.64, "clock": "01:47:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002436" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002437", "start_seconds": 6437.08, "clock": "01:47:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002437" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002442", "start_seconds": 6448.04, "clock": "01:47:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002442" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002444", "start_seconds": 6451.76, "clock": "01:47:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002444" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002450", "start_seconds": 6463.76, "clock": "01:47:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002450" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002453", "start_seconds": 6469.66, "clock": "01:47:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002453" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002462", "start_seconds": 6487.54, "clock": "01:48:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002462" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002429", "start_seconds": 6421.94, "clock": "01:47:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002429" } ] }, { "label": "Eight DPWH budget red flags and accountability response", "text": "Senator Sherwin \"Win\" T. Gatchalian credited the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) with adopting more transparent and granular budget descriptions, feasibility studies and certificates of implementability; he said reforms begun with the department the prior year carried into the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). He said he and the committee still found red flags in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), and would submit a detailed list so DPWH could correct the entries before the committee report. He described these as flags for review and said he was assuming they were not intentional. His team said it manually checked the list item by item with accounting-graduate interns from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela, whom he called \"Valenzuela Intelligence,\" rather than relying on artificial intelligence alone.\n\nGatchalian identified eight categories. Missing station numbers affected 2,570 projects worth about PHP 83 billion. Duplicate project entries accounted for 189 projects worth about PHP 3 billion; examples included similarly titled seawalls, drainage, water-supply and multipurpose-building work, sometimes with spelling differences. Projects reappearing from 2026 to 2027 accounted for 258 projects worth about PHP 20 billion. He said some repeat entries may reflect phasing, but suggested labeling a first phase \"construction\" and the next \"completion\" to make the distinction clear.\n\nProjects without coordinates totaled about 3,500 projects worth about PHP 83 billion, including remote flood-control work, multipurpose buildings and water-supply projects. Lump-sum entries across programs were about PHP 14 billion; Gatchalian noted that DPWH had explained these as contingency funds for repairs needed during the year. Overlapping or fragmented entries totaled 533 projects worth about PHP 63 billion. Examples included projects with the same starting station but different endpoints and a single contiguous project in Misamis Occidental split into separate PHP 135 million entries. Unspecified work scopes covered 62 projects worth PHP 1.5 billion, including multipurpose-building items that did not say whether the facility was an evacuation center, covered court or another type. Conflicting work types covered 20 projects worth PHP 386 million, including construction and rehabilitation listed for the same road in the same year.\n\nGatchalian gave an overall total of 7,107 projects worth about PHP 251 billion. He said many reforms had cleaned up earlier lists, but items still escaped scrutiny, and asked district engineers and regional directors to clean their data before it reached central DPWH.\n\nDPWH Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said the department had added layers of protection and requirements for district engineers and regional offices. He said each district engineer signed a Certificate of Implementability attesting that entries had no duplicates, previous funding or overlaps. If a listed issue could not be explained, DPWH would review it with the Senate Committee on Finance; Dizon said the department would prosecute a district engineer if a signed certification proved false. He also said some apparent duplication could be explained by phased projects, but DPWH would clean up entries that could not be justified. Gatchalian said district and regional staff should resolve problems before submission to central office, called the written certification an accountability measure, and said he would provide the committee's data to DPWH.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002593", "start_seconds": 6756.52, "clock": "01:52:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002593" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002882", "start_seconds": 7477.08, "clock": "02:04:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002882" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002685", "start_seconds": 6956.9400000000005, "clock": "01:55:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002685" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002718", "start_seconds": 7024.1, "clock": "01:57:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002718" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002750", "start_seconds": 7091.3, "clock": "01:58:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002750" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002766", "start_seconds": 7124.22, "clock": "01:58:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002766" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002786", "start_seconds": 7153.22, "clock": "01:59:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002786" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002815", "start_seconds": 7224.5, "clock": "02:00:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002815" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002822", "start_seconds": 7254.14, "clock": "02:00:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002822" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002831", "start_seconds": 7293.68, "clock": "02:01:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002831" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002839", "start_seconds": 7334.02, "clock": "02:02:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002839" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002846", "start_seconds": 7360.28, "clock": "02:02:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002846" } ] }, { "label": "Flood-control utilization, NEP components and Central Luzon plan", "text": "Senator Imee R. Marcos asked about the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)'s current 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) locally funded flood-mitigation account. She recalled a prior locally funded flood-control figure of more than PHP 350 billion; DPWH Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said that was the 2025 figure. For the current proposal, Dizon cited PHP 83 billion for locally funded flood mitigation. Marcos read from the presentation PHP 83.8 billion for flood management, including PHP 62.9 billion for flood mitigation and drainage and PHP 20.8 billion for river basins and principal rivers. Dizon specified PHP 62.98 billion for flood-mitigation structures and drainage, plus PHP 20.85 billion for major river basins, and described the combined total as about PHP 83 billion. Marcos confirmed she understood the PHP 83 billion as the cumulative amount for both categories, not a separate amount for each.\n\nMarcos also questioned DPWH's large unobligated appropriations, which she put at PHP 680 billion, noting that she said the 2025 performance rate was only 45% disbursed and that obligations and disbursements remained slow. She asked for monthly targets and accountability in a catch-up plan, and questioned whether new funding should be withheld while prior-year funds remained unused. Dizon acknowledged delays and cited the department's procurement presentation as of September 24, 2026: 76% of projects awarded or procurement-complete awaiting award under the election ban, amounting to 13,553 projects. He said 88% had been advertised, expected the awarded share to reach at least 90-95% by the end of the fourth quarter, and thought DPWH could reach 80% awarded by September 30. Marcos challenged this against the earlier 32% award figure and the 80% September commitment, and asked for an update before plenary. Dizon agreed to provide one. He also promised a regional procurement-status report, covering regional and implementing offices, after Marcos asked which regions and districts were causing delays.\n\nMarcos asked for a detailed Central Luzon flood-management list, saying the presentation's five sabodams in Nueva Ecija were only a small example and did not answer her concern about repeatedly flooded Region III. Dizon said the sabodams were illustrative, that DPWH had many Region III projects, and promised the full list. Marcos contrasted the DPWH presentation with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) account of three dams across 15 tributaries of the Pampanga River Basin. Dizon distinguished NIA's dams from DPWH's sabodams or impoundments, said the agencies were coordinating on the sabodams, and explained that NIA would implement its three dams separately. Marcos requested a detailed Central Luzon plan; Dizon agreed to provide the list.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003379", "start_seconds": 8418.48, "clock": "02:20:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003379" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003419", "start_seconds": 8502.92, "clock": "02:21:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003419" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003510", "start_seconds": 8682.04, "clock": "02:24:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003510" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003515", "start_seconds": 8691.88, "clock": "02:24:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003515" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003516", "start_seconds": 8692.6, "clock": "02:24:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003516" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003517", "start_seconds": 8694.62, "clock": "02:24:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003517" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003518", "start_seconds": 8696.48, "clock": "02:24:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003518" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003519", "start_seconds": 8698.56, "clock": "02:24:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003519" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003520", "start_seconds": 8700.66, "clock": "02:25:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003520" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003521", "start_seconds": 8702.44, "clock": "02:25:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003521" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003522", "start_seconds": 8704.44, "clock": "02:25:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003522" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003525", "start_seconds": 8712.54, "clock": "02:25:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003525" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003526", "start_seconds": 8713.7, "clock": "02:25:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003526" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003529", "start_seconds": 8720.0, "clock": "02:25:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003529" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003530", "start_seconds": 8721.96, "clock": "02:25:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003530" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003531", "start_seconds": 8724.08, "clock": "02:25:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003531" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003532", "start_seconds": 8726.48, "clock": "02:25:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003532" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003536", "start_seconds": 8735.08, "clock": "02:25:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003536" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003537", "start_seconds": 8737.48, "clock": "02:25:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003537" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003554", "start_seconds": 8769.76, "clock": "02:26:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003554" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003572", "start_seconds": 8806.62, "clock": "02:26:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003572" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003513", "start_seconds": 8688.46, "clock": "02:24:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003513" } ] }, { "label": "Rural infrastructure and flood-control allocation balance", "text": "Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano argued that rural areas need roads, internet, schools, hospitals and other basic services so residents are not pushed toward cities, and said flood-control planning should balance where people live with where infrastructure is built. He asked DPWH for a computation of its rural-versus-urban allocations, or for one to be prepared. Dizon agreed that more appropriate infrastructure was needed to mitigate flooding and later reported budget shares for poorer regions; he did not provide the requested rural-versus-urban computation in this round.\n\nCayetano also asked DPWH to consider whether growth in its program had outpaced the capacity of district and regional offices, while saying the expansion was not necessarily intentional. He urged planning for rural development and for connected investments that could support jobs and services beyond Metro Manila.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004146", "start_seconds": 10071.12, "clock": "02:47:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004146" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004153", "start_seconds": 10094.76, "clock": "02:48:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004153" } ] }, { "label": "Continuing projects and regional equity", "text": "Cayetano asked whether DPWH would review allocations to major cities and whether continuing projects in some areas had been underfunded. Dizon said strict documentation requirements had kept some districts and areas from complying, but agreed to review the figures. He said DPWH would prioritize continuing projects and make needed amendments; Cayetano emphasized continuing work that had received too little funding.\n\nCayetano then proposed a stronger rural-development focus in the FY2027 budget, including affirmative attention to the poorest provinces, where he said poverty overlapped with disaster exposure, insurgency and health challenges. Dizon identified Regions 5, 8 and 13 as having the highest poverty incidence and reported DPWH budget shares of 7% for Region 5, up from 4%; 6.38% for Region 8; and 5.6% for Region 7. He said Region 8 had moved ahead of Region 7 in the Visayas and that the shift toward poorer areas would take more than one year. Cayetano added the Bangsamoro region; Dizon said its expenditures were constrained by its organic law and grant arrangement.\n\nDizon did not provide the requested rural-versus-urban calculation or the province-level detail in this exchange, but offered to provide province detail and committed to send the requested documents.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004801", "start_seconds": 12296.26, "clock": "03:24:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004801" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004867", "start_seconds": 12469.74, "clock": "03:27:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004867" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004868", "start_seconds": 12473.74, "clock": "03:27:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004868" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004874", "start_seconds": 12484.8, "clock": "03:28:04", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004874" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004876", "start_seconds": 12487.78, "clock": "03:28:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004876" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004794", "start_seconds": 12281.44, "clock": "03:24:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004794" } ] }, { "label": "DPWH project vetting and transparency commitments", "text": "After conferring with the Senate President's staff about the flagged projects, Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said 6,113 projects had been flagged because station limits, bridge IDs, or coordinates were missing from their National Expenditure Program (NEP) titles. He said those details were present in supporting documents from district engineers and regional offices; DPWH would add them to the line items and submit the information to the Senate Committee on Finance. Dizon said the original 7,107 flagged projects had thereby been reduced to 994.\n\nOf the 994, 347 were flagged as lump sums. Dizon said DPWH had presented their justifications and would further specify the items. The remaining 647 projects were to undergo joint validation with the Office of the Senate President and the Senate Committee on Finance for duplication or overlap. If validation found duplicate or overlapping projects, he said DPWH would move to strike them from its budget.\n\nDizon also committed to write formally to the Senate President and committee explaining the review and to make the information public. He said DPWH would publish all 11,000-plus projects and their supporting documents on its transparency portal for the public and the Senate.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005031-split-2", "start_seconds": 15584.5, "clock": "04:19:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005031-split-2" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005063", "start_seconds": 15772.28, "clock": "04:22:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005063" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005083", "start_seconds": 15812.14, "clock": "04:23:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005083" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005111", "start_seconds": 15868.08, "clock": "04:24:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005111" } ] }, { "label": "Review of flood-management project requirements", "text": "In its review of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) FY 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) flood-management portfolio, the committee counted 1,256 projects. Senator Joseph Victor \"JV\" G. Ejercito said 90 projects worth PHP 4.5 billion were only partially compliant with the documentation requirements and 65 projects worth PHP 3.7 billion were noncompliant. He asked how DPWH would treat the 155 projects. Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon said the committee list may have omitted files that were already on the transparency portal; he would compare the staff review with the portal, provide direct links and report the verified count. He said any projects that still lacked essential documents, especially a program of works, flood master plan or local-government no-objection letter, would be removed through budget amendments.\n\nDizon separately said 647 projects remained under review. He said district engineers and implementing-office heads had signed certificates attesting to no duplication, overlap or double funding; if review found otherwise, he would remove them from their posts, pursue cases and report their names to the committee and the public.\n\nAsked how many of the flood projects were continuing work versus new starts, Dizon estimated that about 65% of roughly 1,255 to 1,256 projects were continuing. He included unfinished works and gap-closing projects in that category even when a previously unbuilt gap made a line item appear new. He said new starts were mainly dams, detention basins and other works that had not been implemented before.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005261", "start_seconds": 16165.1, "clock": "04:29:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005261" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005300", "start_seconds": 16241.72, "clock": "04:30:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005300" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005267", "start_seconds": 16177.42, "clock": "04:29:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005267" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005268", "start_seconds": 16179.14, "clock": "04:29:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005268" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005275", "start_seconds": 16191.66, "clock": "04:29:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005275" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005276", "start_seconds": 16194.92, "clock": "04:29:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005276" } ] }, { "label": "Consultancy studies and engineering line items", "text": "The FY 2027 DPWH budget included PHP 300 million for pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, PHP 504 million for preliminary engineering, and PHP 2.25 billion for detailed engineering. The preliminary-engineering line was presented as PHP 2 million per district office and PHP 5 million per regional office; the detailed-engineering line was PHP 10 million per district office and PHP 15 million per regional office. Both office formulas included the Bangsamoro regional and central offices.\n\nEjercito asked which projects would receive these funds and what was being approved before individual projects were identified. Dizon clarified that the five infrastructure-vetting requirements applied to capital-outlay projects, while the study lines bought consultancy services. OIC Undersecretary Lara Marisse I. Esquibil said DPWH had a long priority list of proposed studies and would provide it. Dizon said a lack of feasibility and detailed-design funding had led implementing offices to propose projects without sufficient prior study; he committed to submit the procurement list and said it could be annexed to the committee report or eventual General Appropriations Act (GAA). Ejercito also urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to allow more specific project descriptions instead of bundling distinct facilities under generic multipurpose-building lines.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005571", "start_seconds": 16817.74, "clock": "04:40:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005571" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005600", "start_seconds": 16876.52, "clock": "04:41:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005600" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005625", "start_seconds": 16925.0, "clock": "04:42:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005625" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005573", "start_seconds": 16822.2, "clock": "04:40:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005573" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005576", "start_seconds": 16827.78, "clock": "04:40:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005576" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005577", "start_seconds": 16830.1, "clock": "04:40:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005577" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005578", "start_seconds": 16832.02, "clock": "04:40:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005578" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005582", "start_seconds": 16839.72, "clock": "04:40:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005582" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005583", "start_seconds": 16842.08, "clock": "04:40:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005583" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005584", "start_seconds": 16843.86, "clock": "04:40:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005584" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005585", "start_seconds": 16845.94, "clock": "04:40:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005585" } ] }, { "label": "Oplan Kontra Baha, dredging and nationwide flood operations", "text": "Ejercito questioned the use of a nationwide lump sum, noting an Oplan Kontra Baha line of PHP 1 billion. DPWH OIC Undersecretary Lara Marisse I. Esquibil described the program as funding repair, rehabilitation, improvement and maintenance, including dredging and desilting, drainage declogging, waterway restoration and improved flood conveyance. Ejercito connected the resumed dredging to earlier allegations of anomalies under contracted work. Dizon said DPWH had conducted no major dredging for about 15 years and identified silted waterways as a major contributor to flooding. He said a large part of the PHP 1 billion request would support dredging, but called it small.\n\nDizon said DPWH would now carry out dredging by administration rather than contract it to private dredging contractors, citing the need for transparent, measurable work. In San Simon, Candaba, Santo Tomas and San Luis, he described water as trapped by silted outlets around the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX); DPWH and private partners were using about 25 pieces of heavy equipment in a multi-part effort. In the San Juan River, DPWH and San Miguel Corporation were dredging together, but Dizon said the river quickly refilled during heavy rain. He said current work relied on savings and private partners because DPWH lacked a dedicated fund, and that the department had requested the nationwide amount for FY 2027. He agreed to give the committee a report on Oplan Kontra Baha operations in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-005738", "start_seconds": 17179.62, "clock": "04:46:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005738" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005977", "start_seconds": 17449.3, "clock": "04:50:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005977" }, { "stable_id": "asr-005968", "start_seconds": 17441.88, "clock": "04:50:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-005968" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006064", "start_seconds": 17525.08, "clock": "04:52:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006064" } ] }, { "label": "San Perfecto-Batis pumping station", "text": "Ejercito described how pumping stations had eliminated flooding in most of the San Juan barangays he had served, leaving San Perfecto-Batis as the remaining flooded area. Dizon confirmed that the San Perfecto-Batis pumping station was included in the FY 2027 NEP at PHP 150 million and assured him it would not be removed. Ejercito said he had sought the station over three budget seasons and welcomed its inclusion.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006320-split-2", "start_seconds": 17792.02, "clock": "04:56:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006320-split-2" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006320-split-3", "start_seconds": 17801.49, "clock": "04:56:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006320-split-3" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006320-split-4", "start_seconds": 17803.06, "clock": "04:56:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006320-split-4" } ] }, { "label": "Material recovery facilities, public buildings, EV charging and METI", "text": "For DPWH offices, the proposed material recovery facility (MRF) line showed 600 per district engineering office; the transcript did not specify a unit for 600. Regional rehabilitation allocations were PHP 3 million to PHP 5 million. Undersecretary Nicasio A. Conti said the district-office MRFs were for DPWH's own offices, not public facilities generally, and Dizon promised the list of covered locations. Conti said MRFs had also appeared in previous General Appropriations Acts.\n\nThe FY 2027 proposal also included PHP 500 million for public-building rehabilitation and retrofitting. Esquibil described it as directed to critical structures, especially buildings at risk in a major earthquake, and separately described a proposal to repair old national and local buildings that otherwise lacked maintenance funding. A separate PHP 200 million line was for electric-vehicle charging stations at DPWH offices for the department fleet; Esquibil said this was required for fleet electrification.\n\nEjercito noted that the METI allocation was increasing by more than 53 times, from PHP 15 million to PHP 805 million. Dizon said METI supported transparency-portal maintenance and satellite imagery to monitor projects, and that information systems were needed to oversee thousands of active DPWH projects.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006384", "start_seconds": 17904.72, "clock": "04:58:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006384" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006413", "start_seconds": 17938.02, "clock": "04:58:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006413" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006465", "start_seconds": 17996.34, "clock": "04:59:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006465" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006565", "start_seconds": 18087.82, "clock": "05:01:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006565" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006388", "start_seconds": 17908.44, "clock": "04:58:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006388" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006396", "start_seconds": 17918.12, "clock": "04:58:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006396" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006397", "start_seconds": 17919.62, "clock": "04:58:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006397" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006475", "start_seconds": 18002.34, "clock": "05:00:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006475" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006507", "start_seconds": 18031.88, "clock": "05:00:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006507" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006548", "start_seconds": 18068.44, "clock": "05:01:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006548" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006549", "start_seconds": 18069.26, "clock": "05:01:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006549" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006550", "start_seconds": 18070.06, "clock": "05:01:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006550" } ] }, { "label": "Davao City Bypass and covered-court project grouping", "text": "Ejercito asked about the FY 2027 Davao City Bypass Phase 2 works line of PHP 2 billion. Dizon identified it as a foreign-assisted flagship project. Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain said the ongoing project had six contracts, with JICA financing one half and local funds the other; he placed the total project cost for design, civil works and consulting services at PHP 70.8 billion; his completion estimate referred to both the coming two years and 2029, leaving the timetable unclear.\n\nIn a follow-up, Ejercito cited a PHP 4 billion foreign-assisted entry and a PHP 2 billion government-participation (GOP) amount. Sadain confirmed that the PHP 2 billion was GOP, but after Ejercito said the displayed GOP line showed only 500, Sadain referred to three local contracts without reconciling the figures. The stated 500 has no unit in the exchange.\n\nEjercito also asked whether one Angeles City multipurpose-building/covered-court entry bundled eight barangays and whether each court had its own amount. Dizon promised to provide a report; no per-court breakdown was given in this exchange.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006695", "start_seconds": 18235.0, "clock": "05:03:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006695" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006704", "start_seconds": 18242.5, "clock": "05:04:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006704" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006797-split-2", "start_seconds": 18347.39, "clock": "05:05:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006797-split-2" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006699", "start_seconds": 18238.48, "clock": "05:03:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006699" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006777", "start_seconds": 18307.42, "clock": "05:05:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006777" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006778", "start_seconds": 18308.44, "clock": "05:05:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006778" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006797", "start_seconds": 18335.5, "clock": "05:05:35", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006797" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006797-split-5", "start_seconds": 18353.03, "clock": "05:05:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006797-split-5" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006797-split-7", "start_seconds": 18356.03, "clock": "05:05:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006797-split-7" } ] }, { "label": "Collapsed-bridge connectivity and replacement funding", "text": "On the two Tarlac bridges that collapsed a day apart, Esquibil said scouring had exposed the piles and ground seals did not restore the bed enough to keep one span stable under fast water. Dizon said the President had promised PHP 300 million to Tarlac City to repair Aquino Bridge; Agana Bridge had a lower, unstated repair cost, was passable on a temporary Bailey bridge, and DPWH planned a parallel bridge. Ejercito asked if the bridges could use a previously mentioned PHP 500 million retrofit line. Dizon said they were included for connectivity, but that amount was to connect the route, not replace or retrofit the bridges.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007815", "start_seconds": 19383.76, "clock": "05:23:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007815" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007818", "start_seconds": 19387.06, "clock": "05:23:07", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007818" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007838", "start_seconds": 19409.72, "clock": "05:23:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007838" } ] }, { "label": "Water supply, rainwater catchment and detention basins", "text": "Ejercito cited PHP 7.29 billion in the FY 2027 DPWH proposal for construction or rehabilitation of water supply, septage and sewerage systems, and rainwater-collection systems, and asked how much was specifically assigned to large rainwater-catchment structures. Dizon distinguished those structures from small rainwater tanks used to collect water at local sites; he said the large detention and retention basins were separate. He said DPWH would submit House amendments for additional basins, particularly in Region III, and estimated about eight in Bulacan and Pampanga, ranging from 36 hectares to slightly less than one hectare.\n\nEjercito urged upstream water retention alongside irrigation so floodwater could be slowed and stored for dry periods. He said the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) had completed a feasibility study of 39 catchment and nature-based flood-mitigation sites across Metro Manila and was seeking a few billion for detention facilities. Dizon confirmed DPWH had reviewed the sites with MMDA and its Netherlands-based consultants and welcomed more basins. Ejercito identified Rizal Memorial, Taft and Espania as possible Manila locations and said only one requested site had been funded in the MMDA budget he defended; Dizon agreed more sites were needed.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008031", "start_seconds": 19610.64, "clock": "05:26:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008031" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008070", "start_seconds": 19650.08, "clock": "05:27:30", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008070" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008040", "start_seconds": 19618.3, "clock": "05:26:58", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008040" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008225", "start_seconds": 19815.8, "clock": "05:30:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008225" } ] }, { "label": "2025 unfinished projects, utilization and returned funds", "text": "Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go asked for implementation figures for 2025 and 2026. Dizon said he would find the 2026 figure and could not immediately provide the 2025 figure. He said some unimplemented 2025 projects had been designated for later release (FLR) and returned to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) under directions from DBM and the Office of the President; some were used for the 2026 Uplift program. Dizon reported 76% of 2026 projects awarded or procurement-complete awaiting award as of September, including projects pending award because of the election ban.\n\nFor 2025, Dizon first gave a 68% disbursement rate, then explained that many funds were with DBM and had been used for Uplift, and gave 67% while still including funds at DBM. He promised a detailed report of exact disbursement from remaining funds not returned to DBM. Go asked DPWH to revisit useful unfinished projects, including in earthquake-affected areas; Dizon said the President's direction was to finish incomplete work and district engineers should resubmit unfinished buildings and roads.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008817", "start_seconds": 20472.04, "clock": "05:41:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008817" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008826", "start_seconds": 20483.74, "clock": "05:41:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008826" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008900", "start_seconds": 20570.34, "clock": "05:42:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008900" } ] }, { "label": "Earthquake rehabilitation and NDRRMF utilization", "text": "Go cited a PHP 6.5 billion 2025 National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (NDRRMF) allotment to DPWH, of which PHP 3.5 billion remained unobligated or unutilized as of December 2025. He asked why emergency and rehabilitation funding had been used slowly and raised promised Quick Response Fund support for Manay and other earthquake-hit areas in Davao Oriental.\n\nDizon said some work in Manay and other affected areas may already have been done while DPWH awaited NDRRMF funds. He would check whether the unobligated funds had since been obligated, speak with the Davao regional director during a planned visit, and ensure promised repairs were completed. He said repairs had started before funds arrived, but asked whether Go meant the hospital or municipal hall; Go asked him to check the promised work.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009043", "start_seconds": 20869.48, "clock": "05:47:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009043" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009044", "start_seconds": 20877.14, "clock": "05:47:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009044" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009045", "start_seconds": 20879.1, "clock": "05:47:59", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009045" } ] }, { "label": "Ligtas Pinoy evacuation centers and 2027 locations", "text": "Go described the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act as requiring evacuation centers in every city and municipality and asked DPWH for project status and locations, including whether usable 2025 and 2026 centers or multipurpose buildings could serve evacuees sooner. Dizon reported that by the end of August 464 of 492 Ligtas Pinoy projects were complete, 24 under construction, four in reconstruction and three unimplementable because of their locations.\n\nGo said the 2027 budget allocated PHP 180 million per region, or PHP 3 billion total, for centers. Dizon described the 2027 budget as PHP 3.06 billion for two centers per region. He said the Office of Civil Defense would determine locations, which had not yet been sent to DPWH, and promised an immediate location report and priority.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009113", "start_seconds": 21104.32, "clock": "05:51:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009113" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009128", "start_seconds": 21180.16, "clock": "05:53:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009128" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009141", "start_seconds": 21246.08, "clock": "05:54:06", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009141" } ] }, { "label": "Health facilities and a catch-up plan", "text": "Go said the 2024 and 2025 General Appropriations Acts directed DPWH to implement health infrastructure exceeding PHP 5 million under the health-facilities program. He said work above that threshold had been delayed because the Department of Health (DOH) directed DPWH to perform it; some facilities reportedly took two to three years, limiting access for local government units (LGUs), remote communities and island residents. Go urged DPWH, DOH and LGUs to work together. Dizon said he had recently met Health Secretary Edwin M. Mercado and promised a committee catch-up plan for the Health Facilities Enhancement Program.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009149", "start_seconds": 21287.76, "clock": "05:54:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009149" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009150", "start_seconds": 21295.1, "clock": "05:54:55", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009150" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009151", "start_seconds": 21300.08, "clock": "05:55:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009151" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009167", "start_seconds": 21369.92, "clock": "05:56:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009167" } ] }, { "label": "Sports facilities and PSC coordination", "text": "Go asked DPWH to prioritize repair and rehabilitation of sports facilities, saying Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) venues including the Rizal Memorial Complex and former Ultra had leaks. Dizon said 2027 convergence budgets for agencies including PSC had been removed from DPWH and placed in the mother agencies' budgets; PSC would hold the sports-facility funds. DPWH remained ready to assist and coordinate with PSC. Dizon also said DPWH was repairing Rizal and Ultra facilities, including athlete dormitories, and would continue support.\n\nGo also requested help for the University of the Philippines Mindanao swimming pool and soccer field and said he preferred sports-facility funding to remain with DPWH. Dizon maintained that the 2027 convergence funds were lodged with PSC, while offering continued implementation assistance.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009203", "start_seconds": 21462.6, "clock": "05:57:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009203" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009237", "start_seconds": 21572.18, "clock": "05:59:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009237" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009254", "start_seconds": 21632.12, "clock": "06:00:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009254" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009249", "start_seconds": 21612.96, "clock": "06:00:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009249" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009267", "start_seconds": 21680.18, "clock": "06:01:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009267" } ] }, { "label": "Regional equity and flood-mitigation commitments", "text": "Go raised what he saw as inequitable DPWH project distribution, asking for a fair share for rural and geographically isolated communities, especially in Mindanao and the Visayas. Dizon said Mindanao's share had risen to 27.55% of DPWH's total allocation and the Visayas to 20%, with increases in several regions; he said DPWH would strive for more equitable distribution.\n\nDizon planned to visit Regions XI and XII and said flood mitigation in Barangay Talomo, Davao, after a major flood appeared close to completion. He promised to ensure sound, timely work. Go closed by emphasizing results for every peso, project quality and accountability for negligence, defects, delays or irregularities.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009342", "start_seconds": 21957.68, "clock": "06:05:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009342" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009380", "start_seconds": 22113.68, "clock": "06:08:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009380" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009381", "start_seconds": 22122.68, "clock": "06:08:42", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009381" } ] }, { "label": "Project-engineer capacity and staffing request", "text": "Senator Joseph Victor \"JV\" G. Ejercito asked about a shortage of DPWH project engineers, citing cases in which one engineer handled 30 projects against an ideal of 7. Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon agreed that excessive workloads impair implementation, monitoring, and quality. He said DPWH had reduced its annual project volume from more than 20,000, including more than 25,000 in 2024 and 2025; Ejercito referred to a current 11,000 figure in discussing supervision. Dizon said DPWH needed to lower the number of projects assigned to project and maintenance engineers.\n\nDizon said DPWH had repeatedly asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for additional plantilla positions but, without those positions, had relied on job-order hires. Newly licensed engineers were reluctant to take job-order work, making recruitment difficult. He reported 2,000 vacancies and said DPWH was trying to fill them as quickly as possible.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009426", "start_seconds": 22354.68, "clock": "06:12:34", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009426" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009431", "start_seconds": 22379.68, "clock": "06:12:59", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009431" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009452", "start_seconds": 22445.68, "clock": "06:14:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009452" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009475", "start_seconds": 22527.88, "clock": "06:15:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009475" } ] }, { "label": "Coastal barangays and immediate flood-protection work", "text": "Villanueva said two barangays in Paombong and two in Hagonoy were threatened by coastal erosion; he described the danger as losing the barangays to the sea, not only recurring floods. He said seawall and flood-control projects had previously been expected to receive funding but were not funded after the flood-control controversy. One Hagonoy barangay alone had about 6,000 residents, and he asked the government to protect the communities.\n\nDizon reported that seawall repairs had started in Masukol and Santa Cruz in Paombong. For Barangay Iba in Hagonoy, he said DPWH repaired the floodgate the day after Villanueva connected him with the mayor; DPWH would also provide a mobile pump. He promised pictures and video updates on the ongoing repairs in Masukol, Santa Cruz and Barangay Iba.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009798", "start_seconds": 23185.06, "clock": "06:26:25", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009798" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009862", "start_seconds": 23313.06, "clock": "06:28:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009862" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009876", "start_seconds": 23341.06, "clock": "06:29:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009876" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009890", "start_seconds": 23369.06, "clock": "06:29:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009890" } ] }, { "label": "Flood-risk priorities, fiscal space and a guarded emergency provision", "text": "Committee chair Senator Joseph Victor \"JV\" G. Ejercito said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should prioritize the country's top 10 flood-prone areas and major river basins, follow an integrated master plan, and focus on major water-retention works instead of splitting flood-control projects across the country. He said a master plan and big-ticket items were now guiding the work, asked for relief for communities in Central Luzon, and acknowledged tight fiscal space while saying the committee would work with the department.\n\nEjercito asked the committee and DPWH, led by Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon, to craft a special provision for the General Appropriations Act that would authorize a lump-sum allocation for urgent, unplanned emergencies and repairs, including slippages, damaged or collapsed bridges and disaster response. He said safeguards should ensure the allocation was used only for those contingency purposes. Dizon agreed to work with Ejercito's staff and the Senate Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) on the draft and to provide requested information well before plenary.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009928", "start_seconds": 23427.78, "clock": "06:30:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009928" }, { "stable_id": "asr-010000", "start_seconds": 23521.72, "clock": "06:32:01", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-010000" }, { "stable_id": "asr-010162", "start_seconds": 23685.78, "clock": "06:34:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-010162" } ] } ] }, { "key": "agency-dpwh-presentation", "label": "DPWH presentation", "items": [ { "label": "Implementation controls after the flood-control controversy", "text": "Dizon said 2026 had been a difficult year for the department after the previous year's major scandal. He attributed a slowdown in work nationwide to fear and said DPWH was tightening implementation and monitoring; he acknowledged that contractors had sometimes been paid in full before projects were complete.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000234", "start_seconds": 1937.94, "clock": "00:32:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000234" } ] }, { "label": "Project vetting and accountability requirements", "text": "Dizon said the new evaluation process required more than a project title and cost. Flood-mitigation proposals had to fit a river-basin, city or municipal drainage master plan, or have a feasibility study. DPWH also required station limits, geotagged photographs, and complete documentary requirements, including a program of works before a project could enter the National Expenditure Program (NEP), validated geotag photos, DBM budget documents and a certificate of implementability.\n\nA district engineer or regional director had to sign the certificate, attesting that a project had no right-of-way issue, duplicate funding or prior funding and that its location was correct. Dizon said the signature would make the responsible official accountable for errors and possible investigation. Project proposals also needed a master plan, feasibility study or equivalent local plan, with regional, local or provincial development-council certification or, at minimum, a local-government certificate of no objection.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000610", "start_seconds": 2696.44, "clock": "00:44:56", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000610" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000674", "start_seconds": 2822.3, "clock": "00:47:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000674" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000747", "start_seconds": 2966.82, "clock": "00:49:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000747" } ] }, { "label": "Flood-management planning and locally funded examples", "text": "Dizon said flood-control work was consolidated under the flood-management program and its FY 2027 local allocation was lower than in prior years. For the new program, DPWH prioritized projects in river-basin and drainage master plans, closing gaps in unfinished systems, integrated water-resource projects such as detention basins and upstream dams, coordination with regional and local governments, and actual geotagging. He said the President had halted flood-mitigation projects for FY 2026, and described the FY 2027 reforms as a start that the committee could strengthen.\n\nThe department had flood-management plans for 19 major river basins; 13 had been updated: Panay, Jalaur, Buayan-Malungon, Agusan, Agno, Ilog-Hilabangan, Apayao-Abulug, Pampanga, Abra, Cagayan de Oro, Agus, Tagum-Libuganon and Bicol. Updates were underway for Metro Manila and surrounding areas (possibly including Rizal), Cavite, Cagayan Valley in Region II and Davao in Region XI.\n\nExamples included work on G. Araneta Avenue under Quezon City's Drainage Master Plan. Examples also included detention basins in Ermita and elsewhere, including Central Luzon; five sabo dams upstream of the Pampanga River in Capaldon and Bungabon, Nueva Ecija, coordinated with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA); a retarding basin in Naga under its river-basin master plan; the Mananga Dam in Talisay, Cebu, under the Cebu Integrated Flood and Drainage System Master Plan; riverbank protection along the Iligan River; and gap-closing work on the Cagayan River and Tumaga River in Zamboanga City.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000910", "start_seconds": 3294.86, "clock": "00:54:54", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000910" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000982", "start_seconds": 3440.58, "clock": "00:57:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000982" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001053", "start_seconds": 3588.32, "clock": "00:59:48", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001053" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001083", "start_seconds": 3764.96, "clock": "01:02:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001083" } ] }, { "label": "Foreign-assisted Pasig-Marikina works and Metro Manila drainage", "text": "Dizon asked Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain to report on foreign-assisted flood projects. Sadain described the remaining stages of the five-package Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project: about six kilometers of channel work downstream of Rosario to Santo Nino and control gates regulating water from the Marikina River toward the Pasig River and Manila Bay. He said those works were expected to be complete in 2030. A further Phase 6 would add two dams in the upper Marikina River, four retarding basins and completion of the full 35-kilometer channel improvement.\n\nSadain said the dams would regulate 50 million cubic meters of floodwater. He also described detailed design work for a Paranaque Spillway expected the following year, with a nine-kilometer underground tunnel to discharge large volumes of floodwater to Manila Bay and regulate flow toward Laguna de Bay. He projected that the completed river works and spillway would lower Pasig River flood elevations to half of full-bank capacity and let it receive more runoff from inland Metro Manila, while cautioning that this was not a complete solution. DPWH was also developing drainage master plans for Metro Manila's 17 cities; ADB, JICA and the World Bank were supporting a study Sadain expected to finish in November.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001131", "start_seconds": 3981.92, "clock": "01:06:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001131" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001143", "start_seconds": 4034.76, "clock": "01:07:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001143" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001149", "start_seconds": 4063.36, "clock": "01:07:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001149" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001150", "start_seconds": 4093.36, "clock": "01:08:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001150" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001159", "start_seconds": 4227.14, "clock": "01:10:27", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001159" } ] } ] }, { "key": "opening-opening-priorities", "label": "Opening priorities", "items": [ { "label": "Accountability, reform, and a national infrastructure plan", "text": "Ejercito called the flood-control controversy a reason to pause, correct errors, and scrutinize projects, not to stop infrastructure development. He welcomed case filings and reforms intended to improve project implementability and readiness, while insisting that those responsible for anomalies be held accountable. He urged a comprehensive infrastructure master plan aligned with the DPWH FY 2027 proposed budget as Congress considers the proposed Master Plan for Infrastructure and National Development Act (MIND Act). His stated aim was to restore infrastructure-spending momentum, protect public trust, and balance faster public spending with accountability.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000069", "start_seconds": 1312.02, "clock": "00:21:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000069" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000110", "start_seconds": 1516.08, "clock": "00:25:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000110" } ] }, { "label": "Construction recovery with integrity and accountability", "text": "Senator Sherwin \"Win\" T. Gatchalian credited Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon with instituting reforms, including master planning, feasibility studies, and accountability measures. Citing slower growth and a contraction in public construction, he asked what DPWH had done in the second half of 2026 to speed infrastructure spending. He called for faster construction and implementation without sacrificing integrity, accountability, or fair pricing, and cautioned against a return to overpriced contracts or preferential awards. He urged DPWH to continue its reforms while helping accelerate economic growth.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-000141", "start_seconds": 1641.5, "clock": "00:27:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000141" }, { "stable_id": "asr-000160", "start_seconds": 1754.24, "clock": "00:29:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-000160" } ] } ] }, { "key": "senator-imee-r-marcos", "label": "Senator Imee R. Marcos", "items": [ { "label": "Marikina River and Manggahan Floodway progress", "text": "Senator Imee R. Marcos asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for a report on the long-running Manggahan Floodway and Marikina Floodway projects, noting that work dated to the 1970s and had continued through successive public works secretaries. She questioned the projection that completion would take until 2030 or 2031 and asked for a report so senators could understand the status. DPWH Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon agreed to provide one.\n\nDizon said DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain had reported that the Manggahan Floodway was 100% complete; Marcos replied that it had been completed long ago, in 1986. Asked about the Marikina River project, Dizon said it was 60% complete. Marcos requested a detailed report, saying the Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) had long been singled out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and alleging corruption there. Dizon promised a detailed report.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-001160", "start_seconds": 4231.5, "clock": "01:10:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001160" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001171", "start_seconds": 4268.24, "clock": "01:11:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001171" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001177", "start_seconds": 4292.22, "clock": "01:11:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001177" }, { "stable_id": "asr-001184", "start_seconds": 4313.3, "clock": "01:11:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-001184" } ] }, { "label": "COA findings and corrective action", "text": "Marcos asked DPWH and the Commission on Audit (COA) about COA-reported deficiencies in planning, detailed engineering, contract administration, supervision and monitoring across almost 9,000 locally funded DPWH and consultancy projects totaling PHP 531.281 billion. She said the cited problems had resulted in delays, suspensions, spillages, slippages, termination and incomplete works, and asked what had been corrected and how many projects were complete.\n\nDizon referred the question to DPWH Undersecretary Samuel Rufino J. Turgano, the department's Head of Legal who had been working with COA. Turgano said DPWH was collating notices of suspension and disallowance from implementing offices, and reported compliance of up to 32% with the notices. He said the work was still in process and did not give a completed-project count in this exchange.\n\nDizon said the findings accumulated over an unspecified number of years. Because DPWH is decentralized, district and regional offices are responsible for addressing audit observations, suspensions and disallowances. He said Turgano was consolidating the cases centrally for the first time to speed clearance where justified; unresolved matters required legal action. Marcos asked for an update before plenary and timelines for negative-slippage and suspended projects. Dizon promised both.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002955", "start_seconds": 7653.22, "clock": "02:07:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002955" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002960", "start_seconds": 7665.16, "clock": "02:07:45", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002960" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002961", "start_seconds": 7669.22, "clock": "02:07:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002961" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002962", "start_seconds": 7671.58, "clock": "02:07:51", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002962" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002977", "start_seconds": 7718.88, "clock": "02:08:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002977" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003022", "start_seconds": 7803.78, "clock": "02:10:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003022" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003065", "start_seconds": 7875.56, "clock": "02:11:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003065" } ] }, { "label": "Acting appointment and legal-status question", "text": "Marcos said a letter received by DPWH on September 2 about Dizon's appointment had not received a response. She said the Revised Administrative Code required a reply within seven days. Dizon apologized, said he had not seen the letter, and later said staff had told him it concerned his appointment as Acting Secretary and confirmation. Marcos asked him to confirm that he had been appointed Acting Secretary of Public Works on September 1, 2025; Dizon confirmed it.\n\nMarcos cited Section 17.3, Book III of Executive Order No. 292, the Administrative Code of 1987, as limiting temporary acting designations to one year. She also cited Pimentel v. Ermita, G.R. No. 164978, as holding that the limit safeguards against using acting appointments to bypass Commission on Appointments confirmation. On her calculation, Dizon's one-year period had passed by 24 days. Dizon said his Chief of Staff had told him the acting appointment continued through the congressional session and recess, after which he would need reappointment. He said he was not the appointing authority and had not received a regular appointment; Marcos said she had heard he might have been reappointed on July 27 but had no evidence of it, and Dizon said he had not seen such an appointment.\n\nMarcos challenged the idea of a continuing acting appointment or holdover, arguing that a holdover principle could not override an express statutory limit. Dizon said his counsel believed he could continue performing the role, but he would consult the Office of the President, the appointing authority. Marcos said she was not contesting the appointment and wanted its legal basis explained, along with a response to her letter. Dizon apologized and promised to reply after consulting the appointing authority. The exchange ended without resolving the appointment's legal status.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003069", "start_seconds": 7882.3, "clock": "02:11:22", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003069" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003125", "start_seconds": 7985.4, "clock": "02:13:05", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003125" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003328", "start_seconds": 8313.96, "clock": "02:18:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003328" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003354", "start_seconds": 8368.34, "clock": "02:19:28", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003354" } ] }, { "label": "Investigations, recoveries and contractor remedies", "text": "Marcos cited reports that 45 people and two of 15 contractors had been charged in 26 flood-control cases, with PHP 840 million reported recovered, and asked how many public-works officials had been dismissed, suspended or administratively charged. Dizon reported 61 DPWH employees removed with cases pending against them, 19 contractors referred to the Office of the Ombudsman, 11 contractors blacklisted and formally charged, and 166 ongoing Ombudsman investigations. He said most remained at the fact-finding stage and that DPWH continued sending records and referrals. He said DPWH referred criminal matters to the Ombudsman and civil matters to the Office of the Solicitor General and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).\n\nMarcos later cited PHP 841 million as the recovery total she had seen and asked about refunds, performance securities, warranty claims, liquidated damages and civil actions. She singled out the PHP 289 million road-dyke project she cited, citing testimony that 3-meter sheet piles had been used instead of 12-meter piles, and asked what DPWH had recovered. Dizon said the project's details had been submitted to the Office of the Solicitor General; he had testified in the criminal case against a former congressman at the Sandiganbayan that week, and DPWH had referred the civil case and expected feedback about civil-forfeiture filings. He did not state a recovery amount for that project.\n\nMarcos asked about other projects by the contractor. Dizon said the San West contractor was blacklisted and had a case, and said its projects and those of another contractor had been terminated. He described DPWH's process as terminating contracts under investigation or involving a blacklisted contractor, obtaining required clearances, then rebidding. Marcos asked for closure and status reports so she could see which projects were complete, would resume or remained unfinished. Dizon promised a full report covering San West and other terminated contractors.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003595", "start_seconds": 8852.38, "clock": "02:27:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003595" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003601", "start_seconds": 8864.48, "clock": "02:27:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003601" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003617", "start_seconds": 8897.46, "clock": "02:28:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003617" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003675", "start_seconds": 9011.72, "clock": "02:30:11", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003675" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003685", "start_seconds": 9031.34, "clock": "02:30:31", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003685" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003686", "start_seconds": 9033.5, "clock": "02:30:33", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003686" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003696", "start_seconds": 9053.84, "clock": "02:30:53", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003696" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003707", "start_seconds": 9075.88, "clock": "02:31:15", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003707" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003708", "start_seconds": 9077.2, "clock": "02:31:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003708" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003720", "start_seconds": 9101.54, "clock": "02:31:41", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003720" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003781", "start_seconds": 9218.64, "clock": "02:33:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003781" } ] }, { "label": "Convergence-project closure reports", "text": "Marcos said convergence projects had been transferred to their appropriate departments but requested a closure report for each. She said a handoff alone did not show the extent of DPWH's accountability or where follow-on work would begin. Dizon agreed to provide the reports.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003788", "start_seconds": 9232.68, "clock": "02:33:52", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003788" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003804", "start_seconds": 9264.12, "clock": "02:34:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003804" } ] } ] }, { "key": "senator-sherwin-win-t-gatchalian", "label": "Senator Sherwin \"Win\" T. Gatchalian", "items": [ { "label": "Oplan Kontra Baha and dredging", "text": "Gatchalian praised DPWH's Oplan Kontra Baha after three weeks of continuous rain flooded parts of Pampanga and Bulacan while the NLEX portion of flood-prone Valenzuela, including Paso de Blas, did not flood. He credited dredging and additional pumps, and urged continued investment in dredging machinery and equipment. He said DPWH carried out the dredging with local governments rather than contractors. He contrasted this with past contractor-led dredging, where it was difficult to know how many cubic meters had been removed because the work was underwater, and called that a past source of corruption. He said he supported the program.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-002505", "start_seconds": 6572.7, "clock": "01:49:32", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002505" }, { "stable_id": "asr-002549", "start_seconds": 6660.38, "clock": "01:51:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-002549" } ] } ] }, { "key": "senator-alan-peter-s-cayetano", "label": "Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano", "items": [ { "label": "Ghost-project investigation and contractor accountability", "text": "Senator Alan Peter S. Cayetano asked how many flood-control ghost projects the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had conclusively identified nationwide. Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon estimated about 10. Asked about Taguig, Dizon initially said his investigation found none there; Undersecretary Ricardo P. Bernabe III then reported that DPWH had verified 107 Taguig projects and that all had accomplishments. Dizon separately said cases had been filed or referred against 19 contractors and that 11 contractors had been blacklisted. Cayetano emphasized that blacklisting was the highest administrative penalty and did not rule out lower penalties for other contractors.\n\nCayetano cited contractor J.B. Legaspi as a case needing review: a delayed hospital-related excavation project had reportedly been reduced from four floors to two because the soil was adobe, and Cayetano said he had seen other delayed projects by the same contractor. He asked DPWH to review the contractor's record and provide project documents so senators could distinguish a one-project problem from a broader pattern. Dizon agreed to investigate, called delays and slippages unacceptable, and said DPWH was imposing liquidated damages more quickly, with termination and administrative charges possible in severe cases.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003831", "start_seconds": 9319.46, "clock": "02:35:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003831" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003834", "start_seconds": 9326.52, "clock": "02:35:26", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003834" } ] }, { "label": "Flood risk, urban growth and land-use enforcement", "text": "Cayetano urged DPWH to consider flood control as a land-use and development problem as well as a construction and corruption problem. He raised rapid urbanization, building permits near waterways, sanitation and garbage, right-of-way, and the loss of creeks and tributaries. He asked DPWH to work with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local governments on maps, zoning and building-code enforcement, while recognizing that relocation in built-up parts of Metro Manila would be difficult.\n\nDizon agreed that flooding has multiple causes, including population growth and garbage, and said the building code needed a hard review. He identified restoring and enforcing no-build zones along waterways as an urgent intervention, while acknowledging the difficulty of moving people who have long lived beside or over waterways. He committed DPWH to work with Cayetano on the problem. Cayetano also called for coordination on future reclamation and for planning that avoids repeating Metro Manila's urban pressures in Metro Cebu.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-003974", "start_seconds": 9612.68, "clock": "02:40:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003974" }, { "stable_id": "asr-003980", "start_seconds": 9624.42, "clock": "02:40:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-003980" } ] }, { "label": "Laguna lakeshore permits, alignment and flood protection", "text": "Cayetano asked when the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network (LLRN) began and whether DPWH had applied to the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) for a reclamation permit during the project's earlier C-6 planning or LLRN phase. Dizon said construction began in late 2025, with some packages starting in early 2026; Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain said three contracts were awarded in November 2025. Sadain recalled that DPWH had not applied for a PRA permit. He said the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) and PRA both took part in feasibility studies, that the project agreement followed LLDA's direction, and that DPWH signed an agreement with LLDA in July 2024. Sadain said DPWH expected to enter a monitoring agreement with PRA in the coming weeks.\n\nCayetano said, as his account of the history, that earlier West of Manggahan road-dike work had proceeded without PRA requesting a reclamation permit and that PRA began asking for permits in 2020. He cited a 1995 Department of Justice opinion which, in his reading, gave the LLDA jurisdiction as a special-law agency. He challenged DPWH's response to the permit dispute and asked it to resolve the disagreement with PRA and LLDA without stopping projects.\n\nDizon said that after a PRA hearing DPWH had written to the agency's general manager and chief executive officer seeking clarification and a written response, and that DPWH had sent its regional director and requested a meeting with PRA leadership. Dizon said the department's priority was to avoid project delays. Cayetano asked for equal application of permit requirements and continued coordination among the agencies.\n\nCayetano recalled three earlier West of Manggahan alignments: inland, the present alignment, and one in Laguna Lake. He said the present alignment included 1,300 hectares outside the lake and described an earlier estimate that property tax from those hectares could offset an additional 5 billion (currency not stated) if the alignment moved toward the lake. He said the lakeward option was also tied to a managed shoreline, wetlands and a linear park.\n\nCayetano questioned the LLRN's design elevation, citing 12.5 meters as the average annual maximum lake level and contrasting it with a 15-meter road dike that he said had been described as lasting about 100 years or more as siltation and water levels changed. He recalled that DPWH had at one point raised the road dike by one meter and asked DPWH to recheck the basis. He argued that a defined lakeshore and carefully planned access could protect the lake and discourage informal filling, burning of garbage and settlement at the water's edge.\n\nCayetano said the LLDA had accepted a Taguig alignment roughly 800 meters to 1.2 kilometers from the shoreline and presented a wetland and lakeshore plan as protective of the lake. He asked Dizon to coordinate with the LLDA and PRA and questioned why projects faced different permit treatment. Dizon said DPWH was seeking written clarification and meetings with PRA; he did not give a final permit or alignment determination in this exchange.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004226", "start_seconds": 10360.18, "clock": "02:52:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004226" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004232", "start_seconds": 10377.54, "clock": "02:52:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004232" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004364", "start_seconds": 10780.42, "clock": "02:59:40", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004364" } ] }, { "label": "Missing-link access, biking and storm shelters", "text": "Cayetano compared the DPWH-led missing-link road between Lower Bicutan and Muntinlupa with a nearby project and said the City of Taguig had first requested a bike lane and then a park. Dizon said the exit ramp had already been adjusted to address traffic, and confirmed that the LLRN design did not include a bike lane. Cayetano said he was not making an immediate demand, but urged DPWH to consider walking and biking access and larger sidewalks in major new road projects.\n\nHe also asked DPWH to study covered stopping areas, ideally with toilets, where motorcyclists could wait out heavy rain, including along the South Superhighway. He framed these as access and safety amenities to incorporate in future road designs.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004554", "start_seconds": 11418.46, "clock": "03:10:18", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004554" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004557", "start_seconds": 11424.46, "clock": "03:10:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004557" } ] }, { "label": "Warranties, maintenance and engineering standards", "text": "Asked about normal warranties, Dizon said roads and road dikes carried five-year warranties and bridges 15 years. Cayetano connected those periods to his concern that maintenance spending had grown alongside DPWH's program, and asked whether high maintenance needs reflected older assets outside their warranty period. He also questioned how the Bureau of Design's role related to more autonomous regional and district offices.\n\nDizon said regions and districts had their own design, planning and project engineers, but that standards were weak. He said the central Bureau of Design should develop and enforce road and bridge standards, and agreed that road-sign and road-safety standards existed but were not implemented consistently. Cayetano urged DPWH to strengthen central standards and review whether its bureaus and regional structure were organized to support implementation. Dizon said DPWH was examining these issues.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004659", "start_seconds": 11650.46, "clock": "03:14:10", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004659" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004660", "start_seconds": 11659.46, "clock": "03:14:19", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004660" } ] }, { "label": "Worker protections, pay and integrity in public works", "text": "Cayetano urged DPWH to require simple project checklists showing that workers' Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and Social Security System (SSS) contributions were paid. He suggested using workforce data to identify workers who could be trained as skilled tradespeople. He also proposed, as an example, a 10% wage premium for public-works jobs so public projects could compete with private employers and the added pay would benefit workers rather than contractors.\n\nCayetano argued that long-term anti-corruption reform also required recruiting and retaining capable engineers. He compared private building-related earnings and materials-review fees with local building-official salaries, and urged pay parity between private-sector and government engineers.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004705", "start_seconds": 11937.2, "clock": "03:18:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004705" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004706", "start_seconds": 11942.16, "clock": "03:19:02", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004706" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004717", "start_seconds": 12014.74, "clock": "03:20:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004717" } ] }, { "label": "PIEC project records", "text": "Cayetano asked who handled the PIEC project under PRA and requested its records for committee review. Dizon said the project was under the National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Office and agreed to provide the documents.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-004784", "start_seconds": 12252.74, "clock": "03:24:12", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004784" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004787", "start_seconds": 12261.98, "clock": "03:24:21", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004787" }, { "stable_id": "asr-004790", "start_seconds": 12269.92, "clock": "03:24:29", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-004790" } ] } ] }, { "key": "senator-joseph-victor-jv-g-ejercito", "label": "Senator Joseph Victor \"JV\" G. Ejercito", "items": [ { "label": "Road reblocking and asphalt-overlay safeguards", "text": "Ejercito raised complaints that sound urban roads were being reblocked, sometimes before elections, and that repeated asphalt overlays could leave sidewalks below the pavement. Dizon pointed to Department Order 200, series of 2025, which requires central-office clearance even when a road segment already has a budget. Esquibil said reblocking requires visible pavement defects: rocking or vertical movement, faulting, substantial cracking, or significant settlement, typically about one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch, indicating a damaged base rather than surface wear.\n\nFor asphalt overlays, Dizon asked Esquibil to prepare a similar order. She said the previous defect-recording system could wrongly prioritize recently overlaid roads and that DPWH would update its guidance with physical inspection and central-office validation. Dizon said reblocking had already fallen because projects would be allowed only when road sections met the criteria.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-006893", "start_seconds": 18477.68, "clock": "05:07:57", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006893" }, { "stable_id": "asr-006917", "start_seconds": 18496.92, "clock": "05:08:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-006917" } ] }, { "label": "Bridge inspections, earthquake retrofits and collapsed spans", "text": "DPWH OIC Undersecretary Lara Marisse I. Esquibil described the Bridge Management System (BMS): accredited inspectors conduct regular visual inspections and more detailed annual inspections. A 2024 department order sets load postings for bridges with significant defects to reduce overloading and further deterioration. She said DPWH had about 2,000 bridges older than 50 years among roughly 9,000 national bridges; some had been repaired, but many needed major retrofitting because they predated the post-Luzon-earthquake seismic code.\n\nEsquibil said bridges are prioritized by observed defects and remaining load capacity; she described 50 years as a disaster-return-period reference, not a fixed design life. Bridges below capacity must be retrofitted or replaced. For bridges under 50 years, retrofit is generally preferable; if retrofit cost exceeds 60% of replacement cost, replacement is preferable.\n\nEjercito also questioned rebuilding three short, light-traffic bridges in San Juan when older and more critical bridges needed work. Dizon said DPWH would be stricter and direct limited funds to demonstrated need.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-007386", "start_seconds": 18977.78, "clock": "05:16:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007386" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007415", "start_seconds": 19004.2, "clock": "05:16:44", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007415" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007583", "start_seconds": 19163.72, "clock": "05:19:23", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007583" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007608", "start_seconds": 19187.84, "clock": "05:19:47", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007608" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007623", "start_seconds": 19200.22, "clock": "05:20:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007623" }, { "stable_id": "asr-007632", "start_seconds": 19213.24, "clock": "05:20:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-007632" } ] }, { "label": "Integrated drainage planning and Central Luzon flood response", "text": "Ejercito asked how DPWH would prevent neighboring local-government flood plans from working at cross purposes. Dizon said an integrated drainage master plan for the National Capital Region (NCR), led by MMDA with the Metro Manila Council, was underway. DPWH now coordinates its works with local governments and connects projects to their drainage plans, replacing earlier disconnected drainage that led nowhere. He cited coordination in Quezon City, Manila, Pasig, Makati, Caloocan, Valenzuela and Navotas.\n\nAsked for the Central Luzon approach, Dizon said flooding could not be eliminated completely in coastal areas but that Bulacan and Pampanga, together with their mayors, had approved short-, medium- and long-term action plans that DPWH had begun implementing. He promised to submit the plan to the committee. It included dredging and desilting waterways, closing gaps around Calumpit and Hagonoy, repairing dikes, adding pumping stations or mobile pumps in flood-prone towns, and building detention basins and upstream dams. Ejercito supported upstream retention to slow runoff while keeping water for dry periods.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008290", "start_seconds": 19923.34, "clock": "05:32:03", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008290" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008296", "start_seconds": 19933.66, "clock": "05:32:13", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008296" } ] }, { "label": "Transparency, personnel accountability, and project vetting", "text": "Ejercito said he would forward written questions for DPWH to answer in preparation for plenary debate, including concerns about budget utilization, Commission on Audit (COA) audit observations, and transparency.\n\nAsked whether the reported relief of 8 regional directors was part of DPWH's reforms, Dizon confirmed it was. He described a one-strike policy: a district engineer or regional director who fails to do the job properly or faces reports of corruption is removed and investigated. Dizon offered to provide a list of personnel replaced or suspended; the exchange records a commitment to provide it, not a finding of guilt.\n\nEjercito urged DPWH to apply the same stringent vetting to infrastructure amendments and insertions proposed by senators, including his own. Dizon agreed that proposed changes would be reviewed through that process.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009405", "start_seconds": 22268.68, "clock": "06:11:08", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009405" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009490", "start_seconds": 22560.84, "clock": "06:16:00", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009490" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009494", "start_seconds": 22569.88, "clock": "06:16:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009494" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009508", "start_seconds": 22598.26, "clock": "06:16:38", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009508" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009539", "start_seconds": 22659.7, "clock": "06:17:39", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009539" } ] }, { "label": "COA observations, transparency questions and plenary disposition", "text": "Ejercito said he would send DPWH the Commission on Audit (COA) observations and asked it to prepare answers for plenary on locally funded project-closure backlogs, transparency, validated geotagged photos and improvements to the validation process. He also flagged 228 infrastructure contracts not published, amounting to PHP 4.8 billion, and asked whether DPWH was implementing digitalization and transparency mechanisms. Dizon did not give their current implementation status during the briefing.\n\nDizon said DPWH would work with Ejercito's staff and LBRMO and submit answers and supporting information well before plenary. In closing, Ejercito said the DPWH budget was deemed submitted for plenary consideration, subject to further discussion and submission of the requested documents, and suspended the briefing.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-010086", "start_seconds": 23623.46, "clock": "06:33:43", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-010086" }, { "stable_id": "asr-010107", "start_seconds": 23654.1, "clock": "06:34:14", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-010107" }, { "stable_id": "asr-010108", "start_seconds": 23656.56, "clock": "06:34:16", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-010108" }, { "stable_id": "asr-010246", "start_seconds": 23769.16, "clock": "06:36:09", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-010246" }, { "stable_id": "asr-010255", "start_seconds": 23777.78, "clock": "06:36:17", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-010255" } ] } ] }, { "key": "senator-christopher-lawrence-t-go", "label": "Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go", "items": [ { "label": "Appointment documents and confirmation", "text": "Senator Christopher Lawrence T. Go noted that the Commission on Appointments had not received Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon's appointment documents. Go said the committee was ready to consider them and urged Dizon to submit the papers, asking whether he was reluctant to seek confirmation. Dizon said the matter rested with the appointing authority and joked that it might be better if he did not continue. Go said he believed Dizon was willing to be confirmed and again urged him to submit the documents. The exchange did not resolve the appointment process.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-008601", "start_seconds": 20244.8, "clock": "05:37:24", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008601" }, { "stable_id": "asr-008620", "start_seconds": 20270.54, "clock": "05:37:50", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-008620" } ] }, { "label": "National Building Code review and structural standards", "text": "Go said the National Building Code, enacted in 1977, needed updating for current science and disaster-resilient standards. Dizon said a technical working group was reviewing it. DPWH Undersecretary Nicasio A. Conti said the committee met twice monthly and aimed to finalize amendments within two weeks, targeting early October ahead of the code's 50th anniversary in February 2027.\n\nDPWH OIC Undersecretary Lara Marisse I. Esquibil said DPWH was working with the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines on an update to the National Structural Code of the Philippines, incorporating current seismic and wind maps and higher-probability earthquake and typhoon conditions. Go linked updated standards to damage he had seen in older structures after earthquakes, including in Region XII.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009271", "start_seconds": 21696.66, "clock": "06:01:36", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009271" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009293", "start_seconds": 21757.68, "clock": "06:02:37", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009293" } ] } ] }, { "key": "senator-joel-villanueva", "label": "Senator Joel Villanueva", "items": [ { "label": "A science-based, integrated flood program for Bulacan", "text": "Senator Joel Villanueva said he had repeatedly raised flooding in Bulacan and credited Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon with responding the day after Villanueva called about Hagonoy. He also said he had alerted Dizon to a railway-related blockage affecting the MacArthur Highway floodway. Villanueva urged a concrete flood-control program that integrates local works and rests on current scientific study.\n\nVillanueva recalled that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had asked him to fund an integrated feasibility study. A year later, he was told it was unfinished and needed another year; after it was completed, he said, the plan still was not being implemented. Three or four years later, he was told the study was no longer timely. He said he was not claiming engineering expertise, but wanted DPWH to put an actual flood-control program into effect, even if it would not be completed during his remaining two years in the Senate. He reiterated support for Dizon and DPWH while asking for sustained action in Bulacan.\n\nDizon said he had discussed the problem with Bulacan's provincial government and mayors and that they had a clear immediate, short-, medium- and long-term action plan. He promised the report to the committee and Villanueva. He invited Villanueva and committee members to visit the coastal parts of Malolos near Paombong and Hagonoy on Tuesday with Dutch consultants and the Netherlands ambassador to discuss immediate measures.", "citations": [ { "stable_id": "asr-009605", "start_seconds": 22789.26, "clock": "06:19:49", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009605" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009650", "start_seconds": 22880.92, "clock": "06:21:20", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009650" }, { "stable_id": "asr-009751", "start_seconds": 23086.48, "clock": "06:24:46", "transcript_url": "https://tordecilla.github.io/budget-hearings-2026/records/51/#asr-009751" } ] } ] } ] }