The government will finally implement Cebu’s long-delayed flood control master plan, with Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon vowing to demand accountability for the mishandled project.
“Someone must be held accountable for this failure,” Dizon said during the launching of the Oplan Kontra Baha in Manila yesterday.
“Public funds were spent, studies were made, yet people are still drowning in the same floods,” he added.
The Cebu Flood Control Master Gov’t Plan, completed in 2017, was meant to serve as a blueprint for long-term protection against urban flooding in the province.
Dizon ordered a full audit of all contracts and feasibility studies related to the Cebu flood control program to determine which agencies or officials should be held responsible for the delays.
“Accountability must not end with mere blame; there must be consequences,” Dizon said.
“Some officials may have opted to profit from these projects instead of delivering real solutions to the public,” he added.
Cebu accounted for the majority of the death toll caused by Typhoon “Tino” that killed at least 232 people.
The flood control master plan was based on a 2013 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Dizon said the government will consult former DPWH Secretary Babes Singson for its full implementation.
“There is no need to make new plans or studies because everything is already included in the master plan,” Dizon said.
The plan on both upstream and downstream areas. It includes measures such as water impounding, river management, and watershed protection to safeguard communities.
“We will start already now. But this time we will execute it the right way,” Dizon said.
Dizon said the master plan also includes policy recommendations such as stricter enforcement of no-build zones.
According to Cebu Vice Governor Glenn Anthony Soco, the master plan initially received P700 million in funding in 2018 and another P1.2 billion in 2019.
“But after that, nothing. Funding stopped and the plan was shelved,” Soco said in an earlier interview. “To be blunt about it: We abandoned the plan and the people paid the price.”
