DPWH chief blames budget cuts for ROW payment delays

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon on Friday, June 5, attributed delays in right-of-way (ROW) payments to reduced congressional allocations, and promised to push for a larger budget in 2027.

Speaking to reporters at the inauguration of the West Visayas State University (WVSU) College of Law building, Dizon said the department’s ROW budget has consistently been reduced by Congress.

The National Expenditure Programs for 2025 and 2026, submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to Congress, showed that the DPWH had sought PHP 36.91 billion and PHP 36.14 billion for ROW payments, respectively.

Under the General Appropriations Act of 2026 (Republic Act No. 12314), ROW payments received an allocation of PHP 5 billion, up from the PHP 2 billion allocated under the 2025 law (Republic Act No. 12116).

Dizon said he would ask Congress not to reduce ROW allocations for 2027, saying the reduced budget directly affects how the agency pays landowners.

“We hope that they [members of Congress] don’t cut [the proposed ROW budget allocations for 2027] because we really need to start paying our ROW debts all over the country. We just hope that Congress would give that to us,” the secretary said.

The agency’s ROW obligations include a segment of the Iloilo Sunset Boulevard in Oton, which was barricaded by a landowner after the landowner alleged around PHP 28 million in unpaid compensation.

Dizon committed to settle the debt within June, but added that the landowner’s closure was unlawful.

“I understand the landowners […] but I have to tell [them] that even if they haven’t been paid, it is also not legal to close the road. […] I will try my best to pay as soon as possible […] but we cannot just close a road like that, because this is for the public,” Dizon said.