Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre (Acidre's Office)

Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said the upsurge in the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)--from an initial P825 billion to a record P1.113-trillion--was all part of Congress’ balancing of priorities.

“In the balancing of priorities, una, malaki ang direct na contribution ng infrastructure sa stimulus ng ating ekonomiya,” Acidre said in a press briefing on Monday, Dec. 16.

(First, the direct contribution of infrastructure to the stimulus of our economy is massive).

“Second, we're looking at infrastructure that are critical sa ginagawa ng iba pang mga ahensya like classrooms, school buildings, evacuation centers, kahit ngayon mga hospitals din na ginagawa natin,” he added.

(We're looking at infrastructure that are critical to the work of agencies like classrooms, school buildings, evacuation centers, even hospitals.)

The P288.7-billion increase in the DPWH’s 2025 budget was finalized during the recent Bicameral Conference Committee amid criticism of the agency’s underspending, among other concerns.

This huge budget boost is subject of public outcry in social media, as critics observed that the funding for the Department of Education (DepEd) has been slashed by P12 billion.

Acidre, a member of the House delegation to the bicam, said the situation of the two agencies were not comparable despite both being flagged for inefficiencies.

“Sa (In) DPWH for example, a significant amount of the reasons bakit nagkakaroon ng (why there are) inefficiencies is brought about of course by the weather,” he said, citing the recent string of storms hitting the country.

The lawmaker noted that as the Philippines aspire to further boost its economy, the size of its growth will hinge on the size of its infrastructure.

“Yung mga inefficiencies, yung mga slippage natin sa ating infrastructure projects, iba po ang rason ikukumpara sa mga inefficiencies na nakita natin sa [DepEd],” said Acidre.

(The inefficiencies, our slippages in our infrastructure projects, the reason is different compared to the inefficiencies we saw in DepEd.)

“Hindi naman ho siguro delivery ng computers ang nagpatagal ng mga proyekto sa DPWH. Madalas may kinalaman po ito sa klima, sa natural disasters,” he continued, referring to DepEd’s computerization project which has faced concerns over negligence.

(It’s not the delivery of computers that has delayed DPWH projects. It often has something to do with climate, natural disasters.)