PBBM: Flood control projects must meet all requirements to proceed

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos | Philippine News Agency

Only flood control projects that meet all necessary requirements will be allowed to proceed, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said on Saturday, emphasizing his commitment to curbing irregularities in the implementation of infrastructure projects.

During an aid distribution in Gonzaga, Cagayan, Marcos said flood control projects will only be implemented if the proposal and program of work are properly prepared and have clearance from the local government units (LGUs).

Marcos assured the public of the continued implementation of fully compliant flood control projects, noting that more than P300 billion is available to fund them until next year.

“So, hindi pa nauubos ‘yun. So, tuluy-tuloy pa rin ang magiging flood control projects hanggang sa susunod na taon,” he said.

“At meron naman tayong i-approve na flood control project basta’t nakita natin eh maayos— maayos ang proposal, maayos ang program of work, maayos ang completion, may acceptance ng local government. That’s the new factor that we put in,” Marcos added.

This, as the President lamented the scrapping of the requirement for LGUs to formally accept national infrastructure projects, a process he said helps ensure transparency and accountability.

Marcos earlier restored the policy requiring LGUs to formally accept projects before they are declared completed.

He attributed the prevalence of substandard and nonexistent flood control projects to the removal of LGU participation.

“Ang problema, tinanggal ‘yun noong nakaraang ilang taon. I don’t know what year they removed that. Pero nagulat ako kasi napaka-importante iyan na meron kang clearance sa barangay chairman, may clearance ka sa mayor, may clearance ka sa probinsya. Dahil ‘yun ang paraan namin sa local government para tiyakin na ‘yung mga project ay maganda ang pagkagawa at tama at hindi naman nagmahal ng masyado,” he said.

“Mula ngayon ay ibabalik natin ang proseso ng pag-accept ng local government executives,” Marcos added.

The President said he has also ordered the realignment of the P255.5 billion originally intended for flood control projects in 2026 to fund the priority programs of other government agencies.

“Kung hindi po namin ginawa iyan, iyang P255.5 billion na iyan, kung saan-saan na napupunta,” he said. (PNA)