Dizon: Many of new fund changes mostly for effective flood control

MANILA, Philippines — Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has clarified that while their proposed changes to their 2027 national budget would be geared toward flood control projects, other infrastructure items would also benefit from the amendments.

Dizon clarified on Thursday, during an ambush interview at the Batasang Pambansa complex, that among the flood control projects that will form part of the P20 billion proposed amendments will include drainage improvements and detention basins.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) head said that a consideration for the changes was borne out of an assessment on which projects should have priority, especially after the floods due to the southwest monsoon.

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“So, marami dito ay mga importanteng mga proyektong nakita natin na kailangang-kailangan talaga, lalo na dito sa mga nakikita nating mga naging epekto nitong mga nakaraang ulan lalo na sa mga areas na very vulnerable,” Dizon said.

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(So, many of the changes will be for important projects that communities badly need, especially after we saw the effect of the recent rains on areas that are very vulnerable.)

“Yes, some of them […] marami sa kanila mga drainage improvements at mga detention basins na ngayon ng tayo nagkaroon, lalo na ‘yong mga detention basins na ngayon lang tayo nagkaroon ng right-of-way. Kasi hindi talaga tayo pumapayag na may project na ipapasok kung walang right-of-way kasi bale-wala rin ’yon, hindi natin ’yon mai-implement,” he added.

(Yes, some of them […] many projects will be about drainage improvements and detention basins that we will only have now, especially the detention basins that we recently secured right-of-way documents. Because we do not allow projects to push through if there is no right-of-way because that would not make sense, we cannot implement that.)

Regions most affected

Dizon said he cannot yet state which areas will get a huge chunk of the flood control projects, but he said regions most affected by the floods—Central Luzon, National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, and Calabarzon—will be prioritized.

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When asked whether all of the P20 billion funds will be for flood control, Dizon clarified that it will also include other projects like bypass roads that failed to obtain right-of-way clearances, but have now secured such documents.

“Hindi lang (flood control), hindi lahat ‘no, meron din mga ibang mga bypass roads na dati hindi pa kumpleto ang right-of-way clearances na ngayon kumpleto na,” Dizon said.

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(It’s not only (flood control); that’s not all of it, there are also several bypass roads which did not have complete right-of-way clearances that we were only able to secure now.)

“So, it’s really determining kung ano ‘yong pinaka-kailangan talaga ng ating mga communities at kung ano ‘yong mga pinaka-urgent,” he added.

(So, it’s really about determining what are the most needed projects of our communities and what are the most urgent ones.)

During the House of Representatives’ plenary discussions on the proposed DPWH budget for 2027, Surigao del Sur Rep. Romeo Momo, Sr. revealed the department will ask lawmakers to move around P20 billion of the agency’s P643.95 billion budget on Thursday.

Momo, sponsor of the DPWH’s proposed budget, said the request will come in the form of an institutional amendment, or a change proposed by the department itself.

“They have institutional amendments to be submitted to the committee on appropriations,” he told lawmakers.

ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio then asked how DPWH intends to execute this plan, to which Momo said that the reallocation will be drawn entirely from within DPWH’s budget without altering funding for other government agencies.

READ: DPWH eyes P20-B fund shift as House debates proposed 2027 budget

Dizon said they are looking at projects within DPWH with a low-priority status as the source of funds for the P20 billion realignment.

“Tinitingnan pa po namin kung ano ’yong mga hindi na masyadong priority at ’yan po ang mga babawasan natin. Lahat naman po ito ay ipa-publish din po namin at gagawin nating publiko itong mga pagbabagong ito,” he said.

(We really look at the projects that are least of our priorities, and we will slash funds from that. We will publish all of these and we will make the changes available for the public to see.)

“Wala po tayong itatago sa mga kababayan natin dahil pera po nila ‘yan,” he assured the public.

(We will not hide anything from our people because that is their money.)

The DPWH in 2025 suffered a cut for its 2026 budget—a massive P255 billion removal—brought about by the flood control scandal, where public officials and contractors were accused of conniving to implement ghost or substandard projects.

As a result, several of the agency’s budget went to social services and the education sector.

READ: Educ sector may get additional P37-B for 2026 after sub-panel approves hike

Despite flood control getting a negative connotation, several officials believe there is a need to implement such projects, especially after severe floods hit Central Luzon. Last August 10, Deputy Speaker Janette Garin said she believes the recent strong rains only showed that good and necessary projects should get funding and support.

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Garin said that it will be a “double-whammy” if there were no more flood control projects, given that some parts of the country have already suffered from poorly built or non-existent programs. /cb