Metro Manila, Philippines — Budget constraints have reduced transportation projects to just over a tenth of what was proposed for next year’s budget, according to the Department of Transportation (DOTr).
In a House hearing on Thursday, Sept. 3, the agency said only 30 of the 179 projects it submitted were included in the 2027 National Expenditure Program.
The DOTr proposed budget is ₱300.96 billion.
The railway sector had the biggest cut: from the original ₱530 billion to only about ₱195.Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez said fund utilization improved this year, citing an 82.6 percent obligation rate and 52 percent disbursement rate as of July.
“Kaya ang nakikita lang namin na sanhi kung bakit di nabigyan ay yung limited fiscal space ng gobyerno,” Lopez said.
[Translation: The only reason we see is the limited fiscal space.]
Meanwhile, Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendana questioned the absence of funding for the EDSA Bus Carousel service contracting program and the transport sector fuel subsidy next year.
Lopez said the situation was similar during the 2026 budget deliberations, only for Congress to restore funding for the program that was eventually spent to cushion the impact of the Middle East conflict.
Lopez said the agency will support restoration of the budget item.
The DOTr budget proposal is more than double the ₱137.85 billion in the General Appropriations Act.
