PUBLIC Works Secretary Vince Dizon said criminal and administrative charges will be filed in early 2026 against government officials and contractors responsible for substandard flood control projects blamed for massive flooding, property damage and loss of lives during typhoon Tino in Cebu.
In an interview over Radio Veritas on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, Dizon said charges will also cover officials who failed to implement priority flood mitigation projects identified in the 2017 Cebu Flood Control Masterplan.
From 2016 to 2025, the government spent about P50 billion on flood control projects in Cebu, according to Dizon. He said that while typhoon Tino brought unprecedented rainfall, properly designed and implemented projects could have mitigated the impact of flash floods and reduced destruction.
“We need to hold people to account because these failures are caused by people — government officials, contractors, and others involved,” Dizon said. “Cebuanos deserve accountability.”
He stressed that accountability is not only about punishment but also about deterrence.
“Kailangan matakot na yung mga tao na gumawa nito... dahil dito ang daming nag-suffer, ang daming namatay,” he said, adding that filing cases creates a “chilling effect” against corruption and negligence in public works.
(Those who did this must be made to fear the consequences, because so many people suffered and so many lives were lost because of it.)
What went wrong
Dizon said the core problem was the non-implementation and misalignment of projects under the 2017 Flood Control Masterplan, which emphasized upstream interventions such as impounding reservoirs and watershed protection. Instead, many projects focused on downstream structures like dikes and revetments.
“Kung puro dike lang, kapag tumaas ang volume ng tubig, masisira rin,” Dizon explained, noting that floodwaters from upstream areas overwhelmed lowland communities, including those near the Mananga River.
(If it’s only dikes, once the volume of water increases, they will eventually fail as well.)
Following typhoon Tino, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered an investigation into flooding in the Mananga, Butuanon and Cotcot river basins. Dizon said a team composed of retired general Rodolfo Azurin Jr., Undersecretary Arthur Bisnar and Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong conducted on-ground assessments.
Initial findings showed no ghost projects, but several flood control structures were found to be substandard, based on the extent of damage in Talisay City, Cebu City, Mandaue City and Liloan town.
The money flow
Public works data showed that 54 flood control projects worth P4.8 billion were implemented in the Mananga River Basin from 2016 to 2025. Of these, nearly 90 percent of the budget was spent between 2022 and 2025. QM Builders accounted for 28 projects worth P3.24 billion, or 67 percent of the total.
In the Butuanon River Basin, 60 projects worth P4.55 billion were implemented during the same period, with 81 percent of the budget spent from 2022 to 2025. ZLREJ Trading and Construction Corp. handled 17 projects worth P1.4 billion.
The Cotcot River Basin recorded 16 projects worth P1.36 billion, with 91 percent of the funding disbursed from 2022 to 2025. VSP Structure Ventures Corp. accounted for nine projects worth nearly P687 million.
Typhoon Tino, which struck Cebu last Nov. 4, left 96 people dead in Cebu Province alone, according to the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Seven of the fatalities were reported in Talisay City, which also recorded the highest number of destroyed houses at 4,544, part of more than 134,000 damaged homes province-wide.
Moving forward
Dizon said a technical working group has been created to fast-track solutions. The group includes Mahar Lagmay of Project Noah (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), Glenn Tabios of the University of the Philippines Diliman and engineer Danilo Jaque.
Their task is to identify priority projects under the 2017 Flood Control Masterplan that must be implemented starting in 2026, with a focus on upstream flood mitigation.
The 2017 Cebu Flood Control Masterplan — developed by DPWH with Japan International Cooperation Agency input — covers flooding from Carcar City to Danao City. It includes drainage improvements, watershed protection, impounding reservoirs, hazard mapping, no-build zones, and nine proposed dams along major rivers such as Mananga and Butuanon.
Though initially funded in 2018 and 2019, the plan was shelved until after Typhoon Tino. The DPWH has since committed to reviving it, with a proposed P33.5-billion budget for integrated flood control in Metro Cebu.
During the same interview, former SunStar Cebu editor-in-chief Nini Cabaero, herself a Typhoon Tino victim, told Dizon that affected communities remain angry and fearful, with rehabilitation still far from complete.
Dizon acknowledged the frustration and said accountability and proper implementation of flood control measures are necessary to ensure the disaster does not happen again. (MVG)