House urged to show 2026 DPWH budget allocation per district

Navotas Representative Toby Tiangco on Monday urged the House of Representatives to show the amounts allocated for infrastructure projects per district to ensure transparency and accountability.

“For the sake of full transparency, and to ensure na walang insertions, parking, at sagasa ang budget na ito, magandang ipakita sa official website ng  House of Representatives ang total DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) budget for each congressional district for the 2026 HGAB,” Tiangco said, referring to P6.7 trillion House General Appropriations Bill under House Bill 4058 that the House plenary approved on third and final reading also on Monday.

“Ipakita natin sa taumbayan na wala tayong itinatago. Dapat alam nila kung magkano ang budget para sa kanilang distrito mula sa buwis na kanilang binayaran. Dahil sa dulo, ang pondo ng bayan ay dapat gamitin nang tapat, malinaw, at para sa kapakanan ng bawat mamamayang Pilipino,” added Tiangco, who voted for the approval of the proposed naional budget.

(Let us show the people that we are not hiding anything. They should know how much the DPWH budget is per district, since these are sourced from taxpayers’ money. Ultimately, public funds should be spent with integrity and for the benefit of the Filipino people.)

In the same statement, Tiangco questioned the P3 million reduction of the budget for the construction of a multi-purpose building in Phase 2, Area 1, Barangay NBBS Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City.

“The budget requested by the District Engineering Office for the construction of a multi-purpose building, Phase 2, Area I, Barangay NBBS Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City was P5 million, but the approved amount was reduced to P2 million. Therefore, according to the District Engineer, the project cannot be completed within Fiscal Year 2026,” he said.

“For the sake of transparency, the undersigned requests an explanation for: the P3 million reduction for the construction (completion) of the multi-purpose building, Phase 2, in Barangay NBBS Dagat-Dagatan” he added.

The lawmaker also sought clarification as to why the P12 million budget requested by the DPWH Malabon-Navotas District Engineering Office for the rehabilitation of the multi-purpose building at Barangay Sipac-Almacen was increased to P15 million under the House approved budget.

Such an increase, Tiangco said, was made “without any request for increase from the undersigned or from the District Engineer.”

Tiangco also said that the construction of a multi-purpose bulding and facilities in two barangays were funded even when there was no budget reuqest.

“They (DPWH and local officials) also confirmed that they did not request and are not aware of these projects,” he said.

Instead, he urged the national government to fund the Navotas Feeder Line Project, a bus rapid transit (BRT) route that will connect Navotas City to the LRT-1, under the 2027 budget.

“The undersigned sincerely hopes that this will be included in the 2027 HGAB (House General Appropriations Bill), as Navotas is one of the cities in Metro Manila not serviced by either the MRT or LRT,” he said, referring to the Metro Rail Transit and the Light Rail Transit. —LDF, GMA Integrated News