Last year, the discovery of corruption in flood control, has ignited the Filipino people’s outrage against corrupt officials and the anger simmering in the belly of our society.
This year, however, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that there will be no new flood control projects in 2026.
Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III, the agency’s spokesperson for legal matters, said that the DPWH is prioritizing the inspection and audit of 416 flood control projects nationwide, and aims to complete in by the first quarter of this year.
The review started last year following the discovery of the spurious and anomalous flood control projects.
The convergence of corruption, calamities, and public indignation – symbolized by the nationwide protests against flood control anomalies – signals a reckoning. As what the country has observed, calamities are no longer seen as natural phenomena, but as moral indictments of the government’s failure to curb anomalies.
The never-ending inquiries and investigations have exposed an extravagant kickback distribution system between favored private contractors and a hierarchy of government officials, giving them the opportunity to plunder public funds from flood infrastructure projects. Political payoffs are normalized as a cost of doing business.
Related article: Protests Erupt Nationwide as Filipinos Demand Justice in Flood Control Scandal
As a result, favored contractors operate under the protection of congressmen and DPWH officials, while ghost projects and substandard infrastructures continue to be approved.
The DPWH said that they are working on a flood control project masterplan that will take effect in 2027, emphasizing that future infrastructure projects will be built based on the actual needs of a specific area.
“That is why our flood control experts are meeting with our Secretary to come up with a flood control masterplan that we will use starting next year, moving forward, so that we can be sure that all the flood control projects that will be implemented are truly needs-based and will address our country’s problems with flooding, and mitigating calamities caused by typhoons,” Bernabe explained.
This new “needs-based” system comes after the controversy erupted, and with DPWH filing cases against 87 individuals that are allegedly linked to schemes in the construction of anti-flood measures.
As of today, several personalities have been detained, while investigation is still ongoing. These include infamous contractor Sarah Discaya, several DPWH officials, former regional directors and key personalities.
