Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday explained before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee why billions in flood control funds were allocated to provinces not among the country’s top flood-prone areas.
Sen. Erwin Tulfo raised the issue after citing President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s list of flood control project recipients, which showed Cebu, Isabela, Albay, Leyte, and Camarines Sur among the top recipients despite not being in the 10 most flood-prone provinces led by Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Oriental Mindoro, and Ilocos Norte.
“Why were such large funds allocated to these provinces when they are not on the list of flood-prone areas?” Tulfo asked in a mix of English and Filipino.
Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said allocations under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) are equitably distributed to engineering districts nationwide, with 70 percent required to go to the department’s core programs, including roads, bridges, and flood control.
“At the end of the day, these are prioritized based on district proposals and the regional budget process,” Bonoan said.
He admitted, however, that additional projects often enter the budget after congressional insertions during the passage of the General Appropriations Act.
Tulfo described allocations to non-flood-prone areas as “a waste of money.”
“Yes, Your Honor. I agree completely,” Bonoan conceded when asked if the planning process should have flagged such projects.
Meanwhile, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said her agency merely releases funds based on what Congress has approved in the budget law.
“Whatever is stated in the General Appropriations Act, that is what we release to the DPWH. All the projects, including flood control, are itemized,” Pangandaman said.
When Tulfo asked if the Budget Department had the mandate to counter-check whether projects were justified, the DBM chief replied that the department lacked personnel to verify thousands of projects nationwide.
“We do not have the manpower to check one by one the projects proposed by DPWH,” Pangandaman said.
Tulfo warned that the lack of cross-checking mechanisms between the two agencies would be open to questionable allocations.
“It is obvious. You are funding flood control in areas that do not even experience flooding,” Tulfo said.
Flood control has consistently ranked among the biggest items in the national infrastructure budget.
From 2010 to 2025, allocations for such projects grew from less than P50 billion annually to over P350 billion, with a cumulative P1.4 trillion spent in the last 15 years.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency and other development partners have long proposed a national flood management master plan, but senators said implementation has often been piecemeal, with major projects such as the Parañaque Spillway and the dredging of Laguna de Bay repeatedly deferred.
Lawmakers said the ongoing Senate inquiry seeks to determine whether allocations are aligned with actual hazard mapping and whether funds are being used efficiently to protect communities.
