Lawmakers will tackle other agencies' budgets as the Bicameral Conference Committee (BCAM) remains deadlocked over funding for the Department of Public Works, a senator said Tuesday.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, who heads the Senate Finance Committee, said the bicameral panel will deal with “other agencies” as he awaits analysis on the proposed funding restoration for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“We will leave DPWH first,” he told reporters in Filipino. When asked if the panel was still deadlocked, he said, “For now.”
The impasse stemmed from a P45 billion cut in the DPWH budget, with senators adamant on keeping the billions of pesos cut from the DPWH budget for next year, while congressmen warned that failing to restore the funding could lead to economic losses.
The rift between the two houses of Congress comes as the Dec. 22 deadline approaches to sort out different versions of next year's spending plan, a step required before it is ratified and transmitted to Malacañang for President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.'s approval.
Despite the delay, Mr. Gatchalian dismissed concerns about the re-enacted budget, saying, “There is still time.”
“We just have to speed up the discussion,” he said.
Malacañang said Tuesday that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is strongly opposed to the re-enacted 2026 national budget.
Palace press officer Clarissa A. Castro said the administration, along with Congress, is working to ensure that the budget is passed within the time remaining, underscoring concerns that a redrafted budget would stall government projects.
Mr. Marcos aims to sign the spending bill by the end of the year.
Ms Castro said the Finance Department had also warned that delays in approving the new budget could slow public spending and disrupt key programs.
“Everyone knows – all of us, including Congress – that the president does not want a re-budget,” he said in Filipino at a palace briefing. “So, with time remaining, we know that every effort must be made to ensure that the budget is never reenacted. The President is opposed to it.”
He said there was no information at this time whether Mr. Marcos had directly contacted House and Senate leaders to urge closer coordination.
The Budget Department defines a reworked budget as “a situation where the previous year's GAA (General Appropriations Act) is extended and remains in effect for the previous year until Congress passes the budget bill into law.”
'insufficient data
The DPWH admitted Tuesday that it gave lawmakers “inadequate” pricing data on its construction materials database, which senators used as a basis to cut the agency's budget by P45 billion over excessive pricing concerns.
“To address this, DPWH has introduced additional, project-category-based data that includes key variables such as commuting distances and local market behavior, resulting in a more realistic basis for funding,” a letter to Senator Gatchalian said.
Mr. Gatchalian said the Senate is reviewing the updated data provided by the DPWH. “Let's look at the data… because they said the cost list does not include logistics costs.”
Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon on Sunday urged lawmakers to restore the funding cuts, warning that slower state spending could further hurt economic growth.
The Philippines' economy grew 4% in the third quarter, easing amid a multibillion-peso kickback scandal that has weakened one of Asia's fastest-growing economies. – Kenneth Christian L. basilio And Chloe Marie A Hufana
