GOVERNOR Pamela Baricuatro has demanded justice and accountability from officials and contractors behind the more than P26 billion worth of flood control projects that failed to protect Cebu from the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, which she described as the province’s “deadliest flooding in years.”
A visibly upset Baricuatro faced the media on Wednesday, November 6, two days after the typhoon submerged communities from Minglanilla to Danao City, leaving over a hundred people dead and causing billions of pesos in damage to property and infrastructure.
“We will discuss with President Marcos regarding the P26 billion flood control funds. It’s not enough that Cebuanos are resilient -- justice must also be pursued. Nganong nahitabo ni karon? Tagaan tag hustisya ang mga Cebuano kon nganong nahitabo ang flash flood diri sa atoang province?” Baricuatro said.
She said she plans to raise the issue directly with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is expected to visit Cebu in the coming days to assess the damage and coordinate national government assistance.
According to data from the Sumbong sa Pangulo website, at least 414 flood control projects worth P26.7 billion were implemented across Cebu between 2022 and 2025.
Despite these, widespread flooding hit southern, western, and northern parts of the province during Typhoon Tino.
Baricuatro confirmed that the Provincial Government has submitted documents requested by the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI 7) as part of an ongoing probe into the projects.
The NBI will forward its findings to the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI), created by President Marcos to investigate alleged corruption in flood control initiatives nationwide.
The governor also criticized the previous Capitol administration for neglecting long-term solutions to flooding, particularly the lack of effective flood control systems and weak monitoring of quarry operations near the Central Cebu Protected Landscape (CCPL) -- the province’s main watershed.
“Kaning flooding nato, this could have been prevented. How come wala ni nila nahimuan og paagi before? They have been here for years, decades, here in Cebu Province, unya nganong ingon ani ni? What happened to the flood control projects?” Baricuatro lamented. (CDF)