PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. publicly released initial findings from an investigation into the government’s flood control projects, noting a “mismatch” between the number of projects and the country’s most flood-prone areas. 

The report revealed that Cebu Province ranks second nationwide in the number of these projects.

In a press conference on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, Marcos stated that from July 2022 to May 2025, the government implemented a total of 9,855 flood control projects valued at P545.64 billion. 

He presented a list of provinces with the most flood control projects, with Cebu ranking second with 414 projects. The list of the top 10 provinces is as follows:

  Bulacan (668 projects)

  Cebu (414 projects)

  Isabela (341 projects)

  Pangasinan (313 projects)

  Pampanga (292 projects)

  Albay (273 projects)

  Leyte (262 projects)

  Tarlac (258 projects)

  Tarlac (258 projects)

  Camarines Sur (252 projects)

  Ilocos Norte (224 projects)

Marcos highlighted a “disturbing” finding, pointing out that this list does not align with the top 10 most flood-prone provinces identified in the National Adaptation Plan of the Philippines, which includes Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Maguindanao, North Cotabato, Oriental Mindoro and Ilocos Norte.

“You will notice, they don’t necessarily match,” the President said.

Marcos said that while areas most prone to flooding should intuitively have the most projects, this was not the case.

“I’m sure there is an explanation for that,” he said. “We will have to study it further, but you would intuitively say that in areas, provinces, or regions that are the most flood-prone, those should have the most projects. We will study why it turned out that way.”

The President’s investigation was prompted by his directive during his fourth State of the Nation Address to look into potential irregularities in flood control projects in light of the recent massive floods that submerged communities during the onslaught of habagat (southwest monsoon) and a series of typhoons.

He noted other red flags, including:

• P100 billion in projects being awarded to just 15 construction firms, with five of these firms operating in almost every region.

• 6,021 projects worth P350 billion that did not specify the type of structure being built or repaired.

• Many “copy-paste” projects that had the same design and cost despite being in different locations.

To combat these issues, Marcos has launched a new public website, sumbongsapangulo.ph, where citizens can report irregularities in flood control projects. He emphasized that the public’s help is crucial and that he will personally read their reports.

The President, however, clarified that nothing is final yet and that they are “not accusing anyone of anything.”

In Cebu, Gov. Pamela Baricuatro welcomed a thorough investigation into this matter.

“I have asked our engineering department to provide a status report of all flood control projects in the province,” she said.

Marcos, in his announcement, did not identify the scope and scale of the projects in Cebu or where they were implemented. Although the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu are grouped under the province by the Philippine Statistics Authority, they are administratively independent of the Provincial Government. / TPM / SUNSTAR PHILIPPINES / WITH REPORTS FROM CDF