MANILA, Philippines — A resolution was filed at the House of Representatives that seeks an investigation into the alleged "funders" or sponsors of anomalous and fictitious construction projects in the 2025 national budget, as well as the role of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in the release and withholding of funds.

Deputy Speaker and Antipolo Rep. Ronaldo Puno filed on Wednesday House Resolution 201 amid "credible reports and legislative inquiries by the Senate Committee on Accountability of Public Officers (Blue Ribbon Committee) that have revealed irregularities in public works projects funded in recent budgets, including ‘ghost’ or non-existent projects and signs of collusion among contractors.” The concurrent chairman of the National Unity Party (NUP) also noted the privilege speech of Sen. Panfilo Lacson that exposed the "systemic and institutionalized patterns of impunity in the allocation and release of funds for flood control projects," which included the coded "distinct" but identical allocations amounting to P77 million, P48 million and P96 million for multiple projects.

He also said that the DBM itself confirmed, during the budget hearings, that “certain funds, particularly those stemming from congressional insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, were intentionally withheld for later release and would only be disbursed upon compliance with specific conditions, effectively confirming that while some funds were released, others were not.”

He said that the dual reality of “some funds released, others withheld” heightened the need for transparency., This news data comes from:http://aichuwei.com

“When billions are moved in and out of the budget without clarity, accountability collapses and public trust erodes. Ghost projects and coded allocations are not the technical glitches they seem, rather these are clear red flags of corruption that demand immediate scrutiny.” Puno said.

House resolution filed to investigate 'funders' of anomalous projects

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Bacolod Rep. Albee Benitez said that the funds used for flood control projects could have been used to provide homes to millions of poor Filipino families.

“Had the amount of almost ₱1.2 trillion been allocated to housing, there would have been enough to build one million decent homes under the government’s 4PH housing program” Benitez said.

He said that despite years where a "deluge of funds has been poured into flood control projects,” Filipinos continued to wade through floods every rainy season.