Newly appointed Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has committed to complete a two-week review of the agency’s proposed 2026 budget, following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to thoroughly examine ongoing and planned infrastructure projects.

“Tingin ko lang dapat mayroon itong deadline. Importante maipasa natin itong budget na ito kasi hindi lang ito budget ng DPWH, kundi budget ng buong gobyerno,” Dizon said.

“Kailangan dadaan tayo sa proseso, kakausapin natin yung mga regions, mga implementing units ng DPWH. At syempre, dapat maayos ang proseso kung ano ang matatanggal, kung ano ang mababago. Pero siguro, kailangan natin ng panahon. Pero tingin ko hindi pwedeng lalampas ng dalawang linggo,” he said.

The DPWH chief stressed that the agency must ensure all projects included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) are feasible and implementable within the year they are funded.

“2026 budget ang pinag-uusapan natin, dapat ang mga proyekto na gagawin natin ay dapat masimulan, ma-substantiate, matapos, kumpletong matapos sa 2026,” he explained.

Dizon revealed that he and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman agreed on a two-week timeline, “maximum, pwedeng mas maiksi”, to finish the review. He said the DPWH will “work doubly hard” to validate project proposals and eliminate questionable items.

The secretary added that the scale of the review is daunting, noting that the DPWH budget submission alone spans 700 pages. “So kailangan kong intindihin yan, kailangan ko tignan yan,” he said.

Dizon emphasized the review aims to produce an “honest-to-goodness” assessment of all DPWH projects to ensure efficient use of government funds and compliance with the President’s call for accountability in infrastructure spending.