Pulong dared to show proof of Davao flood projects

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang yesterday dared Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte to show documents proving that the flood mitigation structures in his jurisdiction are real. The Palace issued the challenge after Duterte disputed  a statement of the Office of the Ombudsman that Davao City is the “epicenter” of anomalous flood control projects. 

At a hearing of the House committee on appropriations, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the “ecosystem of corruption” in Davao City is hard to penetrate because many people refuse to talk about it.

Remulla said the city was the “epicenter of flood control” before President Marcos assumed office in 2022.  

In a post on social media, Duterte disputed Remulla’s claim, saying the Department of Public Works (DPWH) in Davao region had furnished him a copy of the list of completed projects from 2020 to 2022.

Duterte said that flooding in some parts of Luzon have yet to subside, and that the situation seemed worse than in Davao City.

He called for an investigation into what he described as anomalies, saying “political narratives” should not be used as a shortcut to arrive at a conclusion. 

Palace Communications Officer Claire Castro said Duterte’s documents would help determine whether there are existing flood control projects in Davao City.

“He volunteered, he claimed to have documents to prove that the flood control projects have been completed. He should have done it before,” Castro said at a media briefing. 

Castro said that Duterte ignored the summons issued by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, a  panel formed by Marcos in 2025 to probe questionable projects within the last 10 years.

“He did not submit any statement or document... the documents he is saying will help us determine whether the flood control projects carried out in Davao City are not just documents or are non-existent. A document is different from something that can be seen, felt and can help resolve the flooding problem,” Castro said.  

She said the government is helping all areas affected by floods including Davao City.  

In a related development, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto gave assurance that the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for next year has no discretionary funds.

“All the items listed there have a program of work. For example, the DPWH, all the items there have documents, all of them have programs,” Recto said yesterday.