Flood control projects are money machines of NCR politicos and DPWH-MMDA officials

Senator Imee Marcos says government spends about P1.4-B  pesos a day for flood control projects  considering the total P450-B yearly allotment in the national budget. She lambasted DPWH officials for repeatedly parroting 30 year flood control plans  to his brother President and yet, the result is this massive  July floods from Monsoon rains and Typhoon Carina.

Look at the numbers, 11,3400 flood control projects  reported “finished” under the Build-build build program of President Duterte. And from July 2022 to 2024, the Marcos administration completed 4,700 flood control projects while more than 4,200 are currently under construction under his Build Better, More, including big-ticket projects. For this year, about P255-B was allocated for the DPWH flood control projects  in the P5.768-trillion national budget. 

In his visit to flood-ravaged  areas in Metro Manila , President Bongbong Marcos said ,”They have many flood control measures and yet we have these floods. We have to relook. We have to reexamine some of the designs of our flood control measures”. 

After the EDSA revolution, flood control projects are implemented by the DPWH engineering districts and contractors chosen by the congressmen and sometimes mayors/governors in their locations.  Dredging, desilting and estero cleaning are favorite projects where it commands  anywhere from 40 to 50 percent commission from contractors. In previous corrupt administrations,  picture taking  before storms happen is used as cocumentation to initiate  payback for politicians and their favorite contractors. 

I remember flood control corruption at its peak in Metro Manila managed then by DPWH NCR.  MMDA chair and concurrent DPWH secretary  Bayani Fernando ordered the transfer of all flood control projects to MMDA’s jurisdiction to stop these modus operandi.  But after he left the agency, the corruption still continued and even went back to its old ways. And no thanks of course, to the  NCR politicians and their favored contractors who continued to use  these flood funds as their personal wallets.

A new case in point is the ongoing corruption scandal in the P500-M  Bulacan Flood Control and River Restoration project against the governor, other officials and their alleged favorite  private contractor. The allegation was that the contractor was chosen in violation of government procurement processes. 

Since time immemorial,  no politician nor any DPWH officer has been convicted or imprisoned for corruption in flood control projects. Now, even provincial or local LGUs can enter into contracts and corruption still happens.

So, if government asks the citizens to clean up their garbage to alleviate floods, why can’t we ask government to clean itself first. Get rid of these corrupt politicians who enrich themselves time again on these money making flood control  circus.