“Not only are these allegations misplaced — as the DBM is not the proper party to address such claims — they are exaggerated and sensationalized to serve a political agenda and to destabilize the good work the DBM and the Duterte administration have done,” the DBM said. This was reflected in the actual disbursement releases of DPWH in 2018 amounting to P560.4 billion, the DBM noted. DBM also belied accusations that it adjusted the DPWH budget without its knowledge. Initially, P480.2 billion was approved but P75.5 billion was added later to bring the total DPWH budget to P555.7 billion,” the DBM said. The DBM explained that the DPWH budget was presented to the Cabinet and was approved by President Rodrigo Duterte during a Cabinet meeting on July 9, 2018.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer February 19, 2019 15:56 UTC