DPWH urged to cancel, reprice P1.6-T projects

Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste has urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to cancel or reprice P1.6 trillion worth of infrastructure projects to save P400 billion that could be redirected to health and education programs.

- By JOSE RODEL CLAPΑΝΟ

Leviste made the proposal as Congress wrapped up deliberations on the 2026 national budget, citing alleged irregularities in several DPWH projects, including a recently terminated P95.99-million flood control contract in Lemery, Batangas.

DPWH Regional Office IVA ended the Omnicon Builders contract on June 9, due to a change in government policy on the implementation of flood control-related projects. The contractor would not be paid since the project had not yet begun.

In August, Leviste and the Lemery local government unit raised issues over the project's lack of coordination, missing permits and deviations from the town's flood control master plan.

They later found that the project's sheet piles, supposed to be 12 meters long, measured only six meters. After the audit, the contractor reportedly abandoned the site.