The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metro Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) flood control projects for 2026 would focus mostly on the flood-prone areas identified by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Mikaela Suansing said.
In a press conference held on Wednesday, August 13, Pangandaman revealed that the total budget allocation for flood control projects in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) totaled PHP 274.926 billion.
The amount was divided among the DPWH and the MMDA, with PHP 272.333 billion and PHP 2.593 billion, respectively.
“As I mentioned kanina, ito pong mga programa na ito ay prinopose ng dalawang ahensya. So when we went through the budget preparation po, we asked them doon sa aming budget call na dapat pinaplanuhan,” Pangandaman stated. “Hindi lang walang plano pero may proper planning at may corresponding FS and studies yung mga flood control projects na nakapasok sa DPWH at MMDA.”
In addition, the DBM Secretary said to expect those projects to be completed in areas with planned flood control projects. However, it is up to the two agencies to explain the specifics in detail.
On the part of the House of Representatives, Suansing recalled that Marcos was clear with how he presented the most flood-prone areas in the country during a press conference earlier this week.
“We will make sure that the flood control projects will be focused mostly on those areas, kasi ‘yun ang na-identify as most flood-prone. We’ll also coordinate with the respective RDCs [Regional Development Council],” she said.
The lawmaker suggested that an overall flood mitigation plan for the different areas should be implemented.
“There should be an overall flood mitigation plan for the different areas. Those are the things that we’re going to look at in terms of the need…That’s the mechanism that we will employ on the part of the House to make sure that the flood control programs and projects that will be there in the GAB [General Appropriations Bill] and then later on the GAA [General Appropriations Act], will really be in those areas where they are most needed,” Suansing explained.
On Monday, Marcos revealed that five out of 15 contractors had flood control projects in almost all regions nationwide, stating that the projects between July 2022 and May 2025 totaled PHP 545.64 billion.
Despite this, the President clarified that he will not name anyone involved in the alleged anomaly until he has verified all information on the matter.
The DBM formally turned over the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for fiscal year 2026 to the House of Representatives on Wednesday. During the ceremony, Pangandaman announced that the largest allocation will go to social services, which cover: education, health, and social protection. This totaled to PHP 2.314 trillion or 34.1% of the total budget.
