The government has retained funding for flood control projects in the 2026 national budget, but these are limited to foreign-assisted projects amounting to about ₱15.7 billion, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Acting Secretary Rolando Toledo said on Monday.

Toledo made the clarification during a press briefing with the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) on January 5, amid questions on how the government plans to address widespread flooding that has claimed lives and caused damage to agriculture and infrastructure.

“Mayroon pa rin tayong budget for flood control but specific for the foreign assisted project only. That's around ₱15.7 billion,” Toledo said.

He explained that the funding remains because the government has existing contracts that must be honored and projects that need to be implemented according to approved plans.

Toledo, however, said he did not have an immediate list of the specific flood control projects covered by the allocation. He noted that details would be available once the General Appropriations Act (GAA) is published.

“Right now, I don't have a copy of that specific project for flood control,” he said, adding that the public and media can review the finalized GAA to see the projects included under the foreign-assisted category.

Pressed to cite at least one project, Toledo said the allocation includes a resilience-related flood control initiative under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which he said is financed through a loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

The clarification comes as concerns continue to mount over the government’s flood mitigation efforts following recent incidents of severe flooding that resulted in loss of life and extensive property damage across several areas of the country.