Palace: Flood control budget back in 2027
Funding for local flood control projects, which has been at the center of the massive corruption scandal that led to the filing of cases against lawmakers and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, will be restored in the executive branch’s proposed national budget for 2027 after getting zero allocation last year, according to Malacañang.
Palace press officer Claire Castro confirmed on Tuesday that previously halted flood control projects may still be included in the proposed National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2027, depending on their validity and actual need for completion.
Castro said the government is currently reviewing whether suspended flood mitigation projects under the DPWH are legitimate and necessary, especially those that were stopped due to irregularities or lack of implementation.
“It depends, because if that is a legitimate flood control project that was only stopped due to non-implementation— if it became [a] ghost [project] but still needs to be done—then it has to be funded,” she added.
President Marcos on Monday assured the public of funding for flood control projects in the 2027 NEP to spare communities from devastation from typhoons and heavy rains.
These include the construction and rehabilitation of cutoff channel, dike, drainage structure, flood mitigation facility or structure, retarding basin, revetment, slope protection structure, spur dike, waterway or embankment.
Tighter monitoring
“This is part of the budget and we will ensure that it will not be touched when it undergoes the budget process,” Mr. Marcos told reporters in Cebu following the inspection of the rehabilitation of the Mananga River in Talisay City.
“We will continue what we are doing so that there will be no repeat of the impact of the typhoons, river overflows and floods,” the President said.
When asked how the administration intends to prevent a repeat of large-scale corruption issues in flood control spending, Castro said the government is now implementing tighter monitoring and review mechanisms.
“President Marcos promised there will be no repeat of the flood control mess,” she added.
The Malacañang official said that Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon was appointed to the agency to ensure the implementation of reforms.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), under Secretary Kim Robert de Leon, also committed not to release any single cent to flood control projects that fail compliance and planning standards.
Zero allocation
During the middle of the corruption scandal in September last year, Mr. Marcos ordered zero allocations for locally funded control projects as the DPWH and DBM conducted a sweeping review of the DPWH’s proposed budget in the 2026 NEP.
The move led to the scrapping of the entire P250-billion proposed funding for the DPWH’s flood management program, significantly reducing its approved 2026 budget to P504.3 billion from the P881.3 billion it originally requested.
The NEP is prepared by the executive branch, specifically the DBM. It serves as the blueprint for next year’s government expenditures.
The NEP is submitted to Congress to serve as the basis for the General Appropriations Bill, which should be approved by both the House of Representatives and Senate. When signed into law by President, it becomes the General Appropriations Act. —WITH A REPORT FROM ANDRE ESGUERRA, INTERN
