Senate Committee on Finance Chairperson Senator Win Gatchalian assured the public that the flood control controversy that marred the 2025 budget will not be repeated following the signing of the 2026 national budget by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

In an interview with DZRH News on Tuesday, Gatchalian stated that lawmakers have introduced several “safeguards” in the 2026 budget to prevent a repeat of the alleged irregularities associated with flood control projects.

“Ma-a-assure natin ang ating mga kababayan na dito sa 2026 budget hindi na mauulit ‘yung flood control controvery dahil ang dami nating nilagay na safeguards,” Gatchalian said.

He explained that all infrastructure projects under the 2026 budget are now required to have station numbers and geographic coordinates, making it easier to identify the exact location and length of each project.

“Yung mga infrastructure ngayon, lahat mayroon ng station number at coordinate. So malalaman na natin kung saan ginagawa ang infrastructure at kung gaano kahaba. Dati walang ganoon, manghuhula ka kung saang ginagawa ‘yung kalsada,” he said.

Gatchalian added that infrastructure allocations are no longer lump-sum but fully itemized. Projects such as farm-to-market roads and irrigation systems are now broken down into detailed components.

“Lahat ng infrastructure ngayon hindi na lump sum pina-itemized namin. For example, yung farm-to-market-roads at yung irrigation project. Dati bibigyan ka lang 20 billion pero hindi mo alam kung saan tatayo. Ngayon ganun na kadetalye ang budget na ito,” he said.

The senator also said that all documents related to government projects will be uploaded to a government portal website, including project coordinates that allow the public to locate where projects are being implemented.

In addition, Gatchalian emphasized that all proposals under the 2026 budget are now supported by proper documentation.

“Ma-assure sa 2026 na ang mga projects na prinopose ng senado lahat 'yan ay may dokumento,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Marcos vetoed several items in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Of the nine vetoed items, seven were originally included in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the Executive, while the remaining two also originated from the Executive during budget deliberations, signaling what Gatchalian described as a “change of heart.”