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Jean Mangaluz - Philstar.com
January 6, 2026 | 8:11am
Laborers are seen working in a construction site along Road 10 in Navotas City on June 22, 2024.
The STAR / Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — Despite being at the center of a massive corruption scheme in 2025, the Department of Public Works and Highways still received the second-largest allocation in the 2026 national budget, with P530.9 billion in funding.
The DPWH budget, now to be overseen by 2024 midyear appointee Vince Dizon as secretary, is second only to the Department of Education, which was allocated P1.015 trillion, its largest budget to date.
Data released by the Department of Budget and Management show the following agencies received the highest allocations for 2026:
- Department of Education — P1.015 trillion
- Department of Public Works and Highways — P530.9 billion
- Department of Health — P448.1 billion
- Department of the Interior and Local Government — P310.5 billion
- Department of National Defense — P310.0 billion
- Department of Agriculture — P297.1 billion
- Department of Social Welfare and Development — P270.2 billion
- Department of Transportation — P141.0 billion
- Department of Labor and Employment — P73.6 billion
- Judiciary — P70.6 billion
Under the executive branch's original proposal, DPWH sought P850 billion for 2026. The request was submitted before the exposure of the corruption scheme involving its flood control projects.
Following the scandal, a significant portion of DPWH's proposed funding was reallocated to other agencies.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said flood control funds were redirected to the Departments of Education, Health, Agriculture, and Social Welfare and Development, as well as booked as "material savings."
Rolando Toledo, however, said some allocations for foreign-assisted flood control projects remain under DPWH, although the amounts have yet to be disclosed.
Corruption backdrop. The DPWH came under intense scrutiny in 2025 after authorities uncovered an alleged kickback scheme involving bogus flood control projects, with billions of pesos suspected to have been siphoned off.
The scandal triggered calls from lawmakers and watchdog groups to slash DPWH's budget and rechannel funds toward social services and transparency-driven programs.
