By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet

In a bid to ensure unhampered growth amid various challenges, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. instructed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to release funds that would help to keep the government’s infrastructure projects on track and ensure their timely completion.

This, as P16.5 billion was sent to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to prevent delays in public service delivery and ensure that ongoing projects do not run out of financial resources.

The fund will initially be received by the DPWH Central Office and subsequently downloaded to its various implementing units across the country.

In a statement, DBM Secretary Rolando Toledo cited this initiative as key to stimulate economic activity and contribute to the bottom line of the infrastructure sector, “Government spending, especially in infrastructure, has a strong multiplier effect. 

When we release funds on time, we support jobs, strengthen businesses, and accelerate project completion—creating immediate and tangible benefits for our people.”

Secretary Toledo stressed that the budget release underwent a rigorous process, ensuring that proper documentation, accounting, and auditing rules were observed in accordance with existing rules and regulations.

Improved mobility for NCR commuters

Meanwhile, the DBM also released P44.17 billion to fast-track the implementation of the Metro Manila Subway Project (MMSP) Phase I and the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System.

The move is in line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that Filipinos do not have to wait much longer to reap the benefits of improved and more efficient modes of public transportation.

Once completed, the Metro Manila subway system is expected to ease traffic congestion along EDSA and reduce travel time for commuters traveling to destinations along the path of this public transportation infrastructure.

Secretary Toledo said, “These are projects that Filipinos have waited decades for. Sa utos ng Pangulo, hindi na puwedeng maantala pa. We are making sure that funding is not the bottleneck—so these projects can move faster and deliver real relief to commuters.”

The P44.17 billion release is charged against the Unprogrammed Appropriations under the Fiscal Year 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), specifically for Support to Foreign-Assisted Projects (SFAPs)—a mechanism that ensures critical infrastructure projects continue without delay once financing requirements are met.

Of the total amount, P21.28 billion will fund the NSCR System and MMSP Phase I, financed through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), while P22.88 billion will support the NSCR System under its loan agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

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