The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is fully supportive of the Senate’s call to cut project costs by up to 30 percent as part of a broader reform push ordered by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to clean up the agency and ensure value for money in public works spending.

During the 2026 DPWH budget hearing chaired by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday, Secretary Vince Dizon said Marcos has instructed him to sustain infrastructure development while rooting out corruption and inefficiency in the department.

“Direktiba ng Pangulo na wala tayong sisinuhin, wala tayong sasantuhin (The President’s directive is that we will spare no one),” Dizon said, referring to the department’s ongoing validation of more than 400 suspected ghost projects flagged by a joint inter-agency task force.

He added that the DPWH is updating its Cost per Meter Database (CPMD) and Detailed Unit Price Analysis (DUPA) — unchanged since 2015 — to align project costs with current market prices and prevent overpricing.

Senator Loren Legarda proposed an “across-the-board” 25 to 30 percent reduction in DPWH infrastructure line items, warning that Congress cannot approve a budget padded with excessive prices.

Senator Bam Aquino supported the move, suggesting an initial 20-percent cut pending the completion of the DPWH’s review.

“In conscience, we cannot sign off on a budget if we know the design and cost of materials are overpriced. Let’s go for the real price of these projects — that’s what the people deserve,” Aquino said.

Dizon said the department welcomes the Senate’s initiative and assured that reforms in cost control, transparency, and planning will continue beyond his term.

“Dalawang taon lang po ako dito… Sana po itutuloy-tuloy lang po ‘yung mga reporma [na] inutos mismo ng ating Pangulo (I will only be here for two years… I hope the reforms ordered by the President will continue),” he said. (PNA)