Leviste wants more cuts in DPWH budget to prevent 25% in kickbacks

The proposed P625 billion budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in 2026 still includes kickbacks and must be reduced, Batangas Rep. Leandro Leviste said Tuesday.

“Kasama ang 25% na alokasyon para sa kickbacks sa P600 billion na ito. Nakikiusap po tayo sa DPWH, bago aprubahan ng Kongreso ang 2026 budget, ibaba ang presyo ng mga proyekto," Leviste said.

"Hindi naman mga Congressman ang nagse-set ng presyo [ng government projects]. Ang DPWH ang nagco-compute nito,” he added.

(This P600 billion still includes 25% kickbacks. We plead on the DPWH, before Congress approves the budget, they should lower down the cost of the projects. It is not the lawmakers who set the project costs. It is the DPWH which is mandated to do such computation.)

GMA News Online has reached out to DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon for comment and will publish his reply as soon as it is available.

“Alam natin lahat na overpriced ang mga DPWH projects. Kung ikumpara lang po natin sa presyo ng isang kilometro ng road o isang unit ng solar street light ng DPWH, mas mataas ito kaysa sa mga gawain ng mga local governments, lalong lalo po sa gawain ng private sector,” Leviste said.

(We all know that all DPWH projects are overpriced. If you compare the contract price for a kilometer of road or a solar street light projects of DPWH, it is higher than those contracted out by local governments or the private sector.)

DPWH initially proposed an P880 billion budget for 2026, but this has been reduced to P625 billion after the removal of locally funded flood control projects amid the revelations of substandard, if not ghost flood control projects. 

Likewise, the reduction also happened after House leaders flagged the DPWH's proposed 2026 budget for funding already finished projects and not funding multi-year projects.

Leviste then said contractors have informed him that if his district is allocated P1 billion for road projects, including asphalt overlay at re-blocking under the national budget, 25% of that amount could be paid off to Leviste in exchange for him agreeing to sell these government contracts to certain contractors.

“Hindi ko po ito masolusyonan mag-isa. Kung ibababa ng DPWH ang presyo ng mga proyekto, sa tingin ko po, aaprubahan ng Kongreso ang mas mababang presyo para wala ng kickback sa mga DPWH projects sa 2026,” Leviste added.

(I cannot find solutions on this alone. If the DPWH will bring down the project cost, then I would say Congress will approve a lesser budget that does not include kickbacks.)

The kickback being 25% of the declared project cost is also the same figure that was also revealed by former DPWH Bulacan first district engineer Henry Alcantara and DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo during a Senate inquiry on the flood control mess.  

“Ang ang average kickback ay 25%, hindi lang po para sa proponent. Kasama na rin po para sa ibang mga Bids and Awards Committee members, District Engineering Office, at iba pang mga opisyales sa DPWH system,” Leviste said.  

(The 25% kickback is not just for the proponent. It is Bids and Awards Committee members, District Engineering Office, and other officials of the DPWH.) 

“Ayon sa testimonya ng mga DPWH officials, overpriced, substandard, at rigged ang mga bidding. Bakit hindi pa natin binababa ang presyo ng mga proyekto sa 2026 DPWH budget?” Leviste added.

(Based on testimony of DPWH officials, projects are overpriced, substandard, and the biddings are riggerd. Given these, why not bring down the cost of projects under the DPWH budget?) 

Leviste also asked DPWH to disclose the following information that had been committed to be provided in the September 17 budget hearing, including:

• each congressional District’s budget in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) and the P75 billion in “Convergence” and “Asset Preservation” projects 
• computation of “allocable” budget for each Congressman, and the projects in each district “non-allocable” that were proposed by someone else and
• the proponents for any given project in DPWH’s submitted budget.

–NB, GMA Integrated News