The government gave the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) a huge amount of money — nearly ₱1 trillion pesos! That’s ₱980.25 billion to help stop floods from 2023 to 2025.
That means about ₱326.75 billion every year to build things like better drainage systems, stronger riverbanks, and big flood control projects so that houses, roads, and schools don’t get soaked or damaged when it rains too hard.
But here’s the problem:
Not all the projects are done. Some don’t even seem real.
A TV news report by Joseph Morong on “24 Oras” said that the DPWH will show President Bongbong Marcos a list next week. The list will say which flood projects are finished, and which are what people call “ghost projects” — projects that were promised but may have never been built.
And it doesn’t stop there.
In 2023, government auditors (they check where the money goes) said that some flood projects supported by foreign countries were delayed and very slow. These projects were supposed to be finished already — but many had big problems.
Some of these delayed projects include:
-
Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project – supposed to deepen rivers so they won’t overflow.
-
Metro Manila Flood Management Project
-
Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Project
-
Cagayan de Oro Flood Risk Project
Why so slow?
DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan explained that they didn’t get enough budget to keep the projects going fast. Some lending countries (those who help us pay for big projects) already warned the Philippines: “You’re not giving these projects enough money to keep them moving!”
There’s another problem too…
Some programs that were added by Congress didn’t go through the proper planning. That means they weren’t fully studied or approved before money was given to them. This messed up the money that was supposed to go to other important flood projects.
Secretary Bonoan said,
“There were so many added items… but they didn’t pass through our office for review. These messed up the President’s original plan.”
Because of all this, President Marcos removed ₱16.72 billion for DPWH’s flood projects from the 2025 national budget. He said he won’t allow money for projects that aren’t part of the official plan.
In his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), he gave Congress a warning:
“If it’s not part of the official budget program, I will not support it.”
