PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the government’s multibillion-peso flood control program after an internal review that revealed “disturbing” patterns in the awarding of projects and spending, including 15 contractors securing nearly 20% of the over P500 billion budget program.
Speaking at a Palace press conference on Monday, Marcos unveiled sumbongsapangulo.ph, a new public website that maps ongoing flood control projects and allows citizens to submit reports on irregularities.
The move follows his directive in his fourth State of the Nation Address last month to audit the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) flood mitigation program, one of the largest line items in the national budget.
“We have to clean our ranks. It might be a little painful baka masangkot diyan yung ibang malapit sa atin. Pero kahit malapit sila sa atin, mas malapit siguro sa puso natin ang taumbayan (some close to me may be implicated. But even if they are close to me, the people should be much closer to my heart),” Marcos said.
Anomalies in the numbers
During the media briefing, Marcos reported initial findings on flood control projects from July 2022, totaling PHP545 billion in spending.
While there are 2,409 contracting entities nationwide, Marcos said a fifth of the total amount — about PHP109 billion — went to just 15 contractors.
Of these, five have contracts spanning the entire country, a breadth of reach the President said was “highly unusual” in the construction sector.
Equally troubling, 6,021 projects worth over PHP350 billion were recorded with no details on what type of flood control structure was being built — whether dikes, drainage systems, pumping stations, or other works.
Another irregularity flagged by the review: multiple projects in different locations with exactly the same contract price.
“Imposible ‘yan (That’s impossible)… for one barangay, even if they are next to each other, to have the exact same project, to the exact same amount, with the exact same contractor,” Marcos said.
Mismatch between risk, spending
Marcos also noted that while the National Capital Region (1,058 total projects worth PHP52.57 billion) and Central Luzon (1,617 projects worth PHP98.01 billion) had high volumes — expected for flood-prone areas — the distribution did not always match official hazard maps.
The top ten provinces by number of projects were Bulacan, Cebu, Isabela, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Albay, Leyte, Tarlac, Camarines Sur, and Ilocos Norte.
But in terms of flood risk ranking, Pampanga topped the list, followed by Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Oriental Mindoro, and Ilocos Norte.
