Marikina City Rep. Marcelino Teodoro on Sunday said there appeared to be re-entries of finished flood control projects and road repairs on good roads in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the House of Representatives.
In a statement, Teodoro disclosed the anomalies during a consultation with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on its proposed infrastructure program under the 2026 national budget plan, and even cited examples from his own district.
“There are some items that have called my attention so I told DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan that in 2023, there was a project of slope protection at Balanti Creek in Barangay Sto. Niño, and that item is still included under the flood mitigation program again,” Teodoro said.
The former mayor confirmed Antipolo City, Rizal Rep. Ronaldo Puno’s disclosure that there were flood control projects in the 2026 NEP that were already completed.
Teodoro said he had asked the DPWH to clarify the duplication, adding Bonoan himself was surprised at the inclusion and called the regional director for an explanation.
“He (Bonoan) was taken aback. He called the regional director in the National Capital Region. It’s very general, vaguely identified with no specification given. So, I said this must be clarified very clearly,” Teodoro said.
Projects should undergo proper consultation with the local government units and align with integrated master plans. Without such integration, Teodoro warned that flood control spending could be wasted since drainage systems would not connect properly to outfall areas, such as the Marikina River.
He noted that Marikina has already expanded the capacity of its river through dredging after typhoon ‘Ulysses.’
Teodoro said incomplete and piecemeal drainage projects could threaten to undo the city’s gains, citing the drainage system along Sumulong Highway connecting to Balanti Creek as an example of a project left unfinished despite the urgency of flooding.
“I have seen in the NEP submitted by the DPWH that even half of the 331 meters would be done next year. So, it will still be an unfinished project missing with a budget,” he said.
Teodoro flagged questionable entries for road works, saying the said DPWH listed rehabilitation for Malaya Street in Barangay Malanday, even if the road remained in good condition and had just been completed with drainage improvements from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.
He warned that such practices would result in redundant budgeting and waste of public funds. He underscored that validation on the ground is lacking with some NEP entries containing only generic labels, such as “drainage outfall phase one” without location details.
Teodoro also questioned how their values were determined without feasibility studies, saying such vague listings weaken accountability.
“It’s shameful. We should be ashamed. When you see them inside the evacuation center, when you see the little children whose homes were flooded… It’s shameful, this is a big sin for the people,” he said.
