MANILA — The House of Representatives warned that unresolved disagreements over the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) could delay nearly P400 billion worth of infrastructure projects, with possible adverse effects on economic growth, employment, and community services.

House Committee on Appropriations Chair Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing said the issue centers not on whether overpriced components should be removed from project estimates, but on how cost reductions are applied without rendering projects unimplementable.

“Actually ‘yun po talaga ang salita na gusto ko talaga sanang iwasan. I would not characterize this as a deadlock,” Suansing said during a press conference at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC), where the bicameral conference committee is meeting to reconcile disagreeing provisions of the 2026 General Appropriations Bill.

“Lahat po kami, we recognize that there are overpriced items as initially estimated by the DPWH. At lahat din po merong paninindigan na gusto natin na tanggalin ang overpriced na bahagi na nakapaloob doon sa mga estimates ng mga proyekto,” she added.

The warning was issued amid ongoing bicameral budget talks, with the Senate contingent absent from Tuesday’s scheduled meeting as House conferees gathered at the PICC.

The dispute stems from the Senate’s decision to impose P45 billion in cuts on the House version of the DPWH budget, a move senators have stood by. House lawmakers, however, said applying the reductions wholesale could make close to 10,000 projects worth an estimated P400 billion unimplementable.

Suansing said the potential impact of the cuts has already been quantified.

“Siguro po kinwantify naman po natin kahapon 9,900 projects affected with a total amount of P406 billion,” she said.

“If we assume the 25% of these projects will become unimplementable, that’s already P101 billion wasted that would have been implemented in the right way.”

She said stalled infrastructure spending would have ripple effects on the economy, jobs, and local communities.

“Kailangan natin na infrastructure spending ngayon para ma-accelerate ‘yung growth natin sa GDP,” Suansing said.

“Nakita naman po natin anong nangyari noong tinigil ‘yung mga proyekto, marami pong nawalan ng trabaho.”

At the center of the disagreement is the revised construction materials price data (CMPD) submitted by the DPWH to the Senate, which the upper chamber used as the basis for the budget cuts. The House said the Senate erred in applying the CMPD reductions across the board rather than on a per-project basis.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon has said the CMPD should be applied per project, citing variations in construction material costs depending on location.

Suansing said the House is pushing for a transparent and workable solution that removes overpriced components without derailing projects already scheduled for implementation.

“What is the best way forward? What is the best way to go about this?” she asked.

She stressed the need for continued and open discussions among lawmakers.

“Mas maganda po sana na lahat kami nasa iisang lugar para po talakayin ang mga katanungan… mas maganda na matalakay namin ‘yun.”

Suansing also warned that prolonged delays could jeopardize the timely completion of the national budget.

“Every single day is crucial for our technical teams to be able to finish the bill,” she said.

“It’s really from a practical perspective na kailangan po namin ng oras para tapusin at most especially puliduhin talaga… it’s taking time away from the crucial step of finishing and verifying and reviewing the enrolled bill and the bicam report.”