No budget for new flood control projects — Toledo

Following the signing of the national budget for this year, acting Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Toledo said that the proposed national budget for 2026 does not include any items for new projects.

“Wala pong nakalaan na budget para po sa bagong flood control programa sa 2026,” Toledo said when interviewed on Saksi sa Dobol B.

(There is no allocated budget for a new flood control program for 2026.)

This comes amid the ongoing investigation into the corruption involving anomalous flood control projects and budget insertions, where several lawmakers, senators, and public officials have been accused of receiving kickbacks.

Toledo said Congress only approved P4.7 billion to complete ongoing projects. 

“Ang may kaugnayan lang po sa flood control ay para lang po doon sa ongoing foreign-assisted projects po ng DPWH. So, ibig sabihin may mga proyektong nasimulan na at may umiiral nang loan agreement,” he said.

(The only allocations related to flood control are for the ongoing foreign-assisted projects of the DPWH. So that means there are projects that have already started and have existing loan agreements.)

“Lilinawin ko lang po, hindi po ito para sa bagong flood control project. Ito po ay para sa lamang tapusin,” he added.

(I just want to clarify, this is not for a new flood control project. This is only to finish what was started.)

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law the P6.793-trillion budget for this year. He said that he vetoed nearly P92.5-billion worth of line items under the unprogrammed appropriations in the budget.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said that only three items remained, namely foreign-assisted projects amounting P97.305 billion, revised AFP Modernization Program at P50 billion, and Risk Management Program at P3.6 billion.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said that the unprogrammed appropriations this year was at its lowest since 2019. The DBM said it decreased from P363.4 in 2025 to P150.9B in 2026.

The DBM said this was “below levels recorded during the pandemic years.”

It likened unprogrammed appropriations to purchases that may only proceed if extra money is available, either from additional income such as bonuses or from loans. —VAL, GMA Integrated News