Puno: Lawmakers back Senate move to scrap projects lacking documents

MANILA, Philippines – Deputy Speaker Ronaldo Puno said Thursday that lawmakers support the Senate’s push to strip projects lacking proper documentation from the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for next year.

On Tuesday, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian said the Senate would remove about 295 infrastructure projects worth P8.8 billion from the budget bill, citing the lack of supporting documents for the proposed public works projects.

READ: Gatchalian: Senate will axe P8.8B infra projects from 2027 budget

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Asked about the Senate’s move, Puno said: “We believe that if it has no documentation, it has no right to be there.”

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“I know that the Senate is planning to eliminate them. We will not object.”

The Senate’s push to expunge undocumented projects comes on the heels of warning calls from budget watchdogs, who raised concerns over thousands of projects with the Department of Public Works and Highways that lack planning documents.

Gatchalian had disclosed that 7,107, or more than 62 percent, of the 11,395 projects reviewed by his office had at least one major budgetary red flag.

“There’s no reason why these things won’t be documented,” Puno said, adding that they are advocating for a “bottom-up budget approach” to prevent projects without proper planning from being included in the 2027 budget.

“It has to begin with the barangay, go to the local government and eventually go to the regional development council,” he said. /jpv