Rowegie Abanto

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) building is seen in this photo taken on August 25, 2025. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

GOVERNMENT OFFICES

RG Cruz

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176585347518820250825-dpwh-building-JC0843.jpg" style="width:960px;display:block;height:auto" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) building is seen in this photo taken on August 25, 2025. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA (UPDATE) — The Department of Public Works and Highways on Tuesday apologized for the &quot;insufficient&quot; initial data it had submitted to the Senate Committee on Finance regarding the application of the revised construction materials price data or CMPD.</p><p>CMPD is the updated reference for estimating the cost of materials in public works projects. The DPWH earlier lowered these costs to match real market prices in light of the flood control corruption scandal.</p><p> In a statement, DPWH acknowledged its failure by only providing the Regional Adjustment Factors and said it &quot;fully agrees&quot; that this limited information was &quot;inadequate&quot; for the Senate panel to accurately determine the specific adjustments for the nearly 10,000 affected projects.</p><p> Monday&#x27;s meeting of the bicameral conference had been suspended over disagreements about the P45-billion budget cut for the DPWH, with senators insisting on the cuts while House members and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon say that around 10,000 projects of the agency would be affected or unimplementable by the across-the-board reduction.</p><p> &quot;To address this, the DPWH has submitted additional, project-category-based data that incorporates key variables such as hauling distances and localized market behaviors, resulting in a more realistic basis for funding,&quot; the agency said. </p><p>&quot;The DPWH is fully committed to transparency and to ensuring that all adjustments are made with technical integrity and operational feasibility.&quot;</p><p> In a separate interview, Dizon said that while there was still not enough time to apply the CMPD to the letter, the additional information would allow Congress to make a better estimation.</p><p> &quot;Kung iisa-isahin natin ang mga proyekto, 10,000 proyekto kasi yan e, hindi talaga tayo matatapos. That will take months. Ang ginawa natin ngayon, gagawa tayo ng mas accurate na estimate... Pero ia-apply pa rin natin kada project (na reduction) pag pumasa na ang budget,&quot; he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/12/15/2026-budget-no-longer-on-schedule-admits-gatchalian-2010">2026 budget no longer on schedule, admits Gatchalian</a></div><div> </div><div><strong>SENATE FINANCE PANEL STUDYING DPWH SUBMISSION</strong></div><div> </div><p>The Senate Finance Committee is now studying the revised adjustment factors submitted by the DPWH in a bid to resolve the bicam deadlock.</p><p>&quot;Nag-submit ang DPWH ng Revised Adjustment Factors. Pinag-aaralan muna namin ito. Pag validated na, ia-apply namin ito sa mga projects sa budget,&quot; Senate Finance Committee chair Sherwin Gatchalian told the media on Tuesday.</p><p>&quot;Ang importante sa amin ay walang overpriced items at mai-implement ang mga projects para hindi maapektuhan ang ekonomiya natin.&quot;</p><p>Sen. Bam Aquino previously said that if the DPWH had issues with the Senate&#x27;s computation, it should conduct its own recalculation and return with the correct budget using its new CMPD.</p><p>&quot;We want the DPWH to come back to the table and give the proper computation. Sabi niya may 10,000 projects iyan. Bilangin nila, sabihin nila sa amin magkano ba talaga ang gastos using the new CMPD,&quot; he said.</p><p>To break the stalemate, Aquino said the DPWH should present the actual prices, and if the bicameral conference committee is satisfied, the issue can be resolved.</p><p>Meanwhile, Sen. Francis Pangilinan agreed with Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson&#x27;s position on the DPWH budget.</p><p>&quot;Tama si Sen. Ping. Kailangan ng maliwanag na dahilan bakit nag-180 degree turn si Sec. Dizon,&quot; Pangilinan said.</p><p>&quot;Dapat natin tandaan na ang mga kuwestiyonableng kilos ng bicameral conference committee last year ang malaking dahilan kung bakit tayo umabot sa largest corruption scandal sa kasaysayan ng bansa. Hindi na maaari ang dating gawi. We need to act very carefully and only by doing can we prevent a repeat,&quot; he added.</p><div> </div><div><strong>REENACTED BUDGET?</strong></div><div> </div><p>Meanwhile, Lacson said he preferred a partial reenactment of the 2025 budget in 2026 rather than hastily approving a 2026 budget without being sure that it was clean.</p><p>Lacson said both houses of Congress should weed out all signs of corruption in the 2026 budget bill, even if it meant longer deliberations. </p><p>&quot;My position is - Better a reenacted budget in January or even in the entire first quarter of 2026 than an unchecked, corruption-conducive and worse, graft-ridden GAA. Most of my colleagues, at least in the majority bloc share the same sentiment,&quot; he said</p><p>The bicameral conference committee wants to wrap up its reconciliation of the House and Senate versions of the 2026 budget this week so both Houses of Congress can ratify a final version of the bill for the President&#x27;s signature by next week.</p><p>That would however leave President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. with just about a week to  read and study the budget bill which is contained in multiple volumes.</p><div> </div><div><strong>&#x27;REENACTED BUDGET CAN BE AVERTED&#x27;</strong></div><div> </div><p>The last time the country had a partially reenacted budget was in 2019, when Congress approved that year’s budget on February 8, 2019. Then President Rodrigo Duterte signed it on April 15, 2019. </p><p>Back then, the wrangling was also over DPWH budget, which Senate President Vicente Sotto III said had about P75 billion worth of local infrastructure projects, which were unconstitutionally realigned after the bicameral conference committee.</p><p>Sotto said the problem of the 2026 budget was simpler than the 2019 budget, so it was still possible to avoid a reenacted budget.</p><p>&quot;This is a much simpler GAA (General Appropriations Act). Education and health plus agri are priority. No insertions. DPWH is minimized. It’s unlike that 2018 budget riddled with insertions and lump sums. It’s possible,&quot; Sotto said.</p><p>Before 2019, there were fully reenacted budgets in 2001, 2004 and 2006 and partially reenacted budgets in 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2009 — all under the Arroyo administration.</p><p>Lacson maintained that the Senate would oppose insertions to the 2026 budget.</p><p>&quot;There should be no new items inserted into the budget. Otherwise, the floodgates will be opened to insertions, and we in the Senate will not allow that,&quot; he said.</p><div><strong>— with a report from Andrea Taguines, ABS-CBN News </strong></div><div><br/></div>

<p>The Department of Public Works and Highways on Tuesday apologized for the "insufficient" initial data it had submitted to the Senate Committee on Finance regarding the application of the revised construction materials price data or CMPD.</p>

The Department of Public Works and Highways on Tuesday apologized for the "insufficient" initial data it had submitted to the Senate Committee on Finance regarding the application of the revised construction materials price data or CMPD.

DPWH apologizes, submits new data amid budget impasse

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DPWH apologizes, submits new data amid budget impasse

Rowegie Abanto,

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 16, 2025 11:08 AM PHT

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Updated December 16, 2025 03:51 PM PHT

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