Manila: The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has formally recommended to Congress the removal of allocations for local flood control projects in the agency's revised budget under the 2026 National Expenditure Program.

According to Philippines News Agency, Secretary Vince Dizon announced in a social media post on Wednesday that the recommendation aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to exclude funds for such undertakings from the budget. The funds are proposed to be redirected towards other government projects and programs including health, education, and agriculture.

Dizon highlighted that the requested budget cut would lead to a 28.99 percent decrease in their proposed budget, bringing it down from the initially submitted PHP881.312 billion to PHP624.784 billion. This move comes amidst strict government monitoring of budget allocations following the discovery of anomalous flood control projects worth billions of pesos, which allegedly involve some lawmakers, DPWH officials, and private contractors.