We welcome the call to probe and audit flood control projects following the massive flooding that hit Metro Manila and surrounding areas despite the billions allocated for flood mitigation. However, we strongly oppose any move to let the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) conduct its investigation.
“The DPWH cannot be trusted to investigate itself when it is neck-deep in these anomalies. This is like asking the fox to guard the henhouse,” said House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio.
“Ang DPWH ay kasama sa problema, hindi bahagi ng solusyon. Paano nila i-audit ang sarili nilang kapalpakan? It would be a whitewash, pure and simple,” added Assistant Minority Leader and Kabataan Rep. Renee Louise Co.
We call on the Commission on Audit (COA) to conduct a comprehensive audit of all flood control projects, similar to their work on the pork barrel scam and VP Sara Duterte’s confidential funds. COA has proven its independence and capability in exposing government anomalies.
“COA has the technical expertise, independence, and constitutional mandate to conduct thorough audits. They exposed the PDAF scam, they questioned the confidential funds—they can certainly uncover the truth behind these flood control failures even by just basing from their previous audit reports,” Tinio emphasized.
Based on the COA’s DPWH 2023 AAR (annual audit report)
° NON-IMPLEMENTATION OF LFPs: DPWH was not able to efficiently implement 3,047 (locally funded projects) (aggregate cost P131,569,418,441.24) due to inadequate planning, detailed engineering, supervision, and monitoring; this resulted in delayed completion and non-implementation of various projects; violated revised Government Procurement Reform Act and its IRR and terms and conditions of contracts
° NON-IMPLEMENTATION OF FAPs: DPWH also failed to implement 17 (Foreign-Assisted Projects) (P84,411,319,510.12)
° Increasing project costs and prolonged implementation periods
° DELAYS: in implementing the Metro Manila Bridges Project, resulting in government commitment fees totaling P26,519,560.90 in 2022 and 2023; excluding the commitment fees, the delayed projects total approximately P215.98 billion
° UNIMPLEMENTED PROJECTS: 828 infra projects not executed according to their respective contract agreements due to a “lack of proper supervision and monitoring,” resulting in different technical defects amounting to P343,524,212.86
° UNIMPLEMENTED, WITH DEFICIENCIES, AND POSSIBLY GHOST PROJECTS: “Various infrastructure projects with aggregate cost of P5,716,765,648.37 were declared as 100 percent complete on the Report on Publicized Government Programs, Projects and Activities, and project status monitoring reports of DPWH implementing offices despite the deficiencies or defects noted upon actual inspection and validation thereof, thus, not in keeping with transparency on reporting of government transactions.”
° At least P46,418,930.29 worth of obsolete properties and equipment in various DPWH offices that have yet to be disposed of
° LOW ACCOMPLISHMENT RATES: Out of 905 flood mitigation structures and drainage systems targeted but DPWH was only able to complete 450 (1,234 projects are still ongoing as of the AAR); 192 projects were targeted under various infrastructure, including school buildings, multi-purpose buildings, health facilities, water supply systems, and farm-to-market roads but only 51 were completed
° DPWH DID NOT RECTIFY! PAST COA RECOMS NOT ACTED ON: Out of 122 COA recoms in 2022 AAR, DPWH was only able to implement 70. One of them: improper recording of fund transfers amounting to P413,779,758.14.
It can be recalled that during the 2025 budget deliberations, ACT Teachers grilled the DPWH on flood control issues, raising concerns about the effectiveness and transparency of their projects.
“Noong mga budget deliberations pa lang, pinupunto na namin ang mga kakulangan sa flood control projects. Now we see the catastrophic results—billions wasted while people suffer,” Co stated.
“Hindi pwedeng magpatuloy ang culture of impunity sa DPWH. The people deserve answers, and only an independent body like COA can provide them,” concluded the Makabayan lawmakers.
We urge Congress to pass a resolution directing COA to conduct an immediate and comprehensive audit of all DPWH flood control projects from 2016 to the present.#
