Flood control programs have drawn critical scrutiny for many years now, with corruption and political interference blamed for projects that fail to deliver the objective of flood mitigation.
Today, with classes and government work suspended for nearly the entire week due to torrential flooding induced by the southwest monsoon, tropical cyclones and low-pressure areas, there is renewed focus on the flood control projects, for which billions of pesos in public funds are allocated each year.
Dredging projects for creeks, rivers and other waterways have drawn particular attention because of the difficulty in monitoring their implementation and auditing their performance.
As advocates of honest and efficient budgeting have pointed out, dredging projects have become favorite sources of corrupt deals by politicians because of the difficulty in promoting transparency and accountability. Apart from substandard work that fails to mitigate flooding, there are ghost or non-existent projects as well as contracts awarded to companies owned by the politicians who earmark the projects.
Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways have stressed that dredging of waterways cannot be done away with in flood mitigation, as suggested by some quarters. A compromise, the officials say, is to have the DPWH handle all waterway dredging projects, subject to government auditing.
Malacañang, Congress and local governments should go along with this initiative. It will not only keep a vital program out of the hands of venal politicians, but may also promote the crafting and implementation of a long-term, integrated and durable national flood control system.
While pursuing this initiative, state auditors need a capacity boost in ensuring that dredging and other flood mitigation projects are aboveboard and effective in attaining their objective.
For 2026, the DPWH is reportedly seeking a budget of about P150 billion for flood control. That’s a substantial chunk of the national budget, and it must be utilized judicially instead of ending up in a corruption black hole.