Residents ride canoes to and from their homes in the still-flooded barangay of Dela Paz in Binan, Laguna on November 18, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA -- A number of projects for flood mitigation and water resources management for irrigation and food security comprise the majority of the DPWH projects vetoed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in the National Budget for 2025, according to the veto message sent by the Chief Executive to the Senate and House of Representatives on Monday.

Marcos Jr earlier announced that he has vetoed a total of P194 billion pesos in allocations. These include P26 Billion in projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that are not supportive of the administration's priorities.

In his veto message, the President explained that the programs, projects, and activities that they have listed under the DPWH National Expenditure Program for 2025 are consistent with the Build Better More infrastructure program of our government, and were carefully considered taking into account urgency of need, implementation-readiness, and agency absorptive capacity. 

"In this regard, the items of appropriation under the DWH which are not consistent with the foregoing, as listed in Annex A hereof, in the total amount of P26,065,700,000.00, hereby vetoed and marked accordingly in the Details of DPWH's Programs/Projects, Volume I-C of the FY 2025 GAA," Marcos Jr said in his veto message.

READ: Marcos signs 2025 national budget

WATCH: Marcos signs 2025 national budget, vetoes ₱194-B line items

Flood control projects of the DPWH vetoed by the President include the proposed P300 million rehabilitation and improvement along the Lower Marikina River and the P400 million rehabilitation and improvement along the Manggahan Floodway Channel in the National Capital Region. 

Also vetoed was the proposed construction of several Integrated Flood and Water Resource Management Structures along the Bicol River, Cabilogan River, and Libmanan River in Camarines Sur, in Bicol.

Department of Budget and Management Undersecretary Goddess Hope Libiran explained that the vetoed items were those that have been found not implementation ready, or have ambiguous details.

"Itong vineto na items, karamihan ay hindi kasama sa proposed President's budget, yung tinatawag nating National Expenditure Program kung saan nakalagay yung mga proposed projects ng mga implementing agencies like DPWH or MMDA. Ngayon binusisi po kung ano yung mga projects na hindi kasama sa NEP, tiningnan kung ano ang mga implementation ready, alin yung mga hindi pa talaga maiimplement, alin yung mga ambiguous," Libiran said in a televised briefing.

"So yung mga lumabas na hindi pa implementation ready or ambiguous projects, yun po ang tinanggal. Remember doon sa NEP nakapaloob na po doon yung mga projects na mismong implementing agency na ang nagsabi na 'ito, kailangan ito, ito ang kaya naming maimplement next year, o sa susunod na taon.' So doon tayo nag-stick," she said.

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