diff --git a/Mk/Uses/php.mk b/Mk/Uses/php.mk
index 72a1766da68f..372bff44135e 100644
--- a/Mk/Uses/php.mk
+++ b/Mk/Uses/php.mk
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ _INCLUDE_USES_PHP_POST_MK=yes
 .  if ${php_ARGS:Mext} || ${php_ARGS:Mzend}
 PHP_MODNAME?=	${PORTNAME}
 PHP_EXT_PKGMESSAGE=	${WRKDIR}/php-ext-pkg-message
-PKGMESSAGES+=	${PHP_EXT_PKGMESSAGE}
+_PKGMESSAGES+=	${PHP_EXT_PKGMESSAGE}
 PHP_HEADER_DIRS+=	.
 # If there is no priority defined, we wing it.
 .    if !defined(PHP_MOD_PRIO)
diff --git a/Mk/bsd.port.mk b/Mk/bsd.port.mk
index f16c19fa732c..ebe2fa34e6e4 100644
--- a/Mk/bsd.port.mk
+++ b/Mk/bsd.port.mk
@@ -2167,7 +2167,7 @@ PKGINSTALL?=	${PKGDIR}/pkg-install
 PKGDEINSTALL?=	${PKGDIR}/pkg-deinstall
 PKGREQ?=		${PKGDIR}/pkg-req
 PKGMESSAGE?=	${PKGDIR}/pkg-message
-PKGMESSAGES+=	${PKGMESSAGE}
+_PKGMESSAGES+=	${PKGMESSAGE}
 
 TMPPLIST?=	${WRKDIR}/.PLIST.mktmp
 TMPPLIST_SORT?=	${WRKDIR}/.PLIST.mktmp.sorted
@@ -4252,7 +4252,7 @@ create-manifest:
 			dp_PKGBASE='${PKGBASE}'                               \
 			dp_PKGDEINSTALL='${PKGDEINSTALL}'                     \
 			dp_PKGINSTALL='${PKGINSTALL}'                         \
-			dp_PKGMESSAGES='${PKGMESSAGES}'                         \
+			dp_PKGMESSAGES='${_PKGMESSAGES}'                      \
 			dp_PKGORIGIN='${PKGORIGIN}'                           \
 			dp_PKGPOSTDEINSTALL='${PKGPOSTDEINSTALL}'             \
 			dp_PKGPOSTINSTALL='${PKGPOSTINSTALL}'                 \