Congressional leaders withdrew their risk to return the Nationwide Expenditure Program, the idea for the funds invoice for 2026, to the DBM. They defined their earlier plan to return the NEP as a result of they don’t need to be blamed for the errors they present in it. DBM has promised to repair the errors.
Apparently, the technocrat DBM Secretary isn’t nearly as good as some economists suppose. Think about submitting a nationwide funds to Congress with allocations for infrastructure initiatives that had already been accomplished!
Congressmen declare there are double entries. There are lacking entries. There are double appropriations. There are outsized lump sums.
Stung by the robust unfavourable reactions to congressional insertions for pork initiatives, the congressmen are saying you will need to clear up the NEP as a result of BBM vowed to veto a funds invoice that isn’t consistent with it.
A paper ready by the Basis for Financial Freedom analyzing flood management initiatives additionally got here to the identical conclusion in regards to the problematic NEP submitted by DBM to Congress. There are errors and pork is alive within the DBM submission.
For starters, the Congressional Coverage and Price range Analysis Division (CPBRD) places the 2026 flood management program at P250.83 billion. In comparison with final yr’s NEP 2025 (at P254.3 billion), the proposed NEP is almost the identical.
Alternatively, the FEF paper, ready by Engr. Rene Santiago, factors out that the 2026 proposal for flood management seems to be nearly half (49 % discount) of the P496 billion contained in GAA 2025. The distinction between the NEP 2025 and GAA 2025 values is the dimensions of insertions at P242 billion.
Santiago complains that the NEP 2026 presentation is a fog of numbers — whether or not by design or neglect, its opacity borders on distraction.
“Take the headline determine: is it really P250.8 billion, as cited by CPBRD? The Flood Management sub-components alone whole P235.1 billion. Add P33.2 billion scattered throughout different headings and one other P2.6 billion earmarked for MMDA. That brings the true tally to P271 billion…
“Majority of the initiatives bore the identical generic price. This can be a pink flag for intentional splitting to maintain the selections on the district Engineer degree. Additionally, a telltale signal of the absence of preliminary engineering research.
“The actual fact is that no two flood management initiatives are the identical, due to variations in river dimensions, channel geometry and areas. And but, many initiatives carry the identical price ticket. Initiatives at P100 million every numbered 964. Greater than 97 % of the listed initiatives mirror a value lower than or equal to P 150 million.
“The splitting will not be because of hydrologic analytics however to monetary acrobatics. The P150 million threshold is the same as the delegated authority of district engineers to bid out, award and implement.
“Most of those initiatives find yourself as small and disconnected and, thus, have little affect on flood safety. A handful of initiatives have funding of between P150 million and P400 million, which fall beneath the delegated authority of regional administrators.
“For NCR alone, there are initiatives on DPWH portfolio amounting to P39.5 billion. As well as, MMDA has flood management initiatives requiring P2.6 billion. And but, MMDA is meant to be the first company accountable for flood administration in Metro Manila, with DPWH solely aiding. The relative quantities proposed in this system are inconsistent with the allocation of obligations…
“To be efficient, system-wide flood management initiatives needs to be pursued beneath a long-term grasp plan grouped by river basins. There are 18 main river basins within the nation — of which Cagayan Valley is the most important, adopted by Agusan-Cotabato and Pampanga. There isn’t any indication that the expenditure program was guided by river basin plans. The ‘slicing-and-dicing’ into smaller initiatives has obliterated any semblance of integration.
“In brief, greenlighting the flood management NEP-2026 will merely perpetuate a template for corruption.”
The FEF paper concludes that “the NEP 2026’s flood management funds is bloated and misaligned. Intestine it to its naked necessities. Droop all new builds (P216 billion) till grasp plans catch up. Save solely the P19 billion price of foreign-assisted and rehab initiatives. This can be a ‘chilly turkey’ prescription that may deny oxygen to the unholy trinity…”
Sen. Ping Lacson stated his informants within the DPWH in addition to some contractors stated it is a “coded funds” that signifies who “owns” the undertaking. “For these within the know, this implies ‘that undertaking is mine’,” he stated.
The follow of “coded initiatives” within the listing should finish. By no means thoughts that congressmen, contractors and district engineers have agreed prematurely on learn how to share the loot.
Engr. Santiago noticed that “A number of initiatives within the listing could also be outdated and ineffectual, even when executed in response to good design and specs. Persevering with with a tainted listing is like throwing good cash after unhealthy.”
The FEF paper recommends establishing a Nationwide Flood Management Transparency Portal. Let daylight empower accountability.
“We suggest a publicly accessible, real-time dashboard that tracks each flood management undertaking nationwide with such information as funding, contractors, timelines, geotagged progress pictures and correlated with a map of the focused flood-prone space derived or linked with Challenge Noah.”
The FEF paper concludes that “floods are inevitable. Corruption will not be. If we’re critical about defending lives, we should first restore integrity. The 2026 funds affords a pivotal alternative to shift course — from a nation submerged in opacity to at least one that rises with resilience.
“Drain the swamp: Cap the flood management allocation at P20 billion to curb extra and redirect funds to extra accountable interventions.
“Embed fiscal guardrails: Institutionalize transparency and efficiency metrics in GAA 2026 to stop misuse.
“Design for affect, not patronage: Formulate a three-year funding program rooted in hydrological science and neighborhood security — not political expediency.
“Plan by river, not by racket.
“Let 2026 mark a clear slate — a funds that ends in protected and livable communities.”
Individuals are very offended in regards to the mess of corrupt ghost flood management initiatives. Moratorium on pork could maintain us from rioting just like the Indonesians.
Boo Chanco’s e-mail deal with is [email protected]. Comply with him on X @boochanco
