Lacson flags flood billions, ‘uniform’ P180M regional funds

MANILA, Philippines — The government risks wasting billions of pesos more on flood control without a clear, long-term program to guide spending, Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said, questioning the proposed P107.4-billion allocation for flood control under the 2027 national budget.

Lacson said the proposed funding demanded scrutiny, particularly after the government had already spent P1.939 trillion on the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) flood control program from 2011 to 2025 but with many areas still easily inundated after heavy rains.

“In the proposed 2027 budget, some P107 billion is earmarked for flood control projects. A good question to ask is, how will it be spent? Are there overall programs for this? If so, where are they?” Lacson said in a statement on Tuesday.

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“Are we following a flood management program? If not, we are just wasting money because we have no direction,” he said.

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READ: Lacson: P1.9-T flood control budget yet flood remains uncontrolled

Lacson said he would raise these questions at the Development Budget Coordinating Committee briefing to the Senate beginning Aug. 27.

Uncontrolled flood

He cited DPWH data showing that annual flood management funding breached P100 billion in 2018.

“Flood control vs uncontrolled flood: P1.939 trillion funded the DPWH flood control management program under three presidents from 2011-2025 and the result is uncontrolled flood,” Lacson said in a post on X.

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For Lacson, the problem is not simply the amount spent but the lack of continuity in planning and implementation.

READ: Tinio slams P107.4B for flood control projects in 2027 nat’l budget

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“That’s the thing with us, there’s no continuity. In the US, roads are planned for 20 years, regardless of which administration implements them. Here we are fond of groundbreaking, ribbon-cutting and rushing projects for completion before an administration’s term ends,” he said. “Each administration insists on having its own plan.”

‘Uniform’ P180M per region

Lacson also flagged what he described as questionable allocations for evacuation centers in the proposed National Expenditure Program.

Each of the country’s 17 regions was “uniformly” allotted a P180-million lump sum, or more than P3 billion in total, without details such as the facilities’ intended location, he noted.

“Was there any study to determine if a region needed more evacuation centers? There seemed to be none. That is not acceptable. There were no specifications or locations,” he added.

He said the lack of details raised questions about whether the allocations were based on actual needs, including population, disaster exposure and existing evacuation facilities.

The senator also warned that the P7.2-trillion proposed 2027 budget could become too generous with “ayuda” or social assistance at the expense of long-term development.

“There’s nothing wrong with ‘ayuda,’ but we should also look at the long-term development side of how the budget is used,” he said.

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He also cautioned that the 2027 budget could become an “election or campaign budget” as the country moves closer to the 2028 elections. /cb