The Department of Public Works and Highways is reviving a 2017 master plan to solve Metro Cebu's urban flooding by linking disconnected drainage systems, starting with Mandaue City.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon identified six critical flood zones in Mandaue City and noted that funding for major components will be included in upcoming 2027 budget proposals.
State investigators including the Office of the Ombudsman, Department of Justice, and National Bureau of Investigation are probing previous flood projects and alleged ghost projects in Cebu.
THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is reviving a 2017 master plan to solve Metro Cebu’s long-standing flood problems. The agency plans to link up disconnected drainage systems and flood-control projects in heavily affected areas, starting with Mandaue City.
This renewed effort comes at a time when state agencies are investigating potential irregularities and "ghost projects" from past flood-control spending in the region.
For local commuters, drivers, and business owners, help is on the way, but major construction projects are still years away from completion.
Urban flooding across Metro Cebu is not caused by heavy rain or high tides alone. It is also influenced by how drainage channels, rivers, pumping facilities, floodgates, and coastal outfalls work together as a system.
When heavy rain falls in the upland areas of Metro Cebu, runoff moves through natural and engineered waterways toward lower urban areas and eventually the coast. If drainage channels and rivers cannot carry the volume efficiently, or if high tides impede the discharge of stormwater, flooding can worsen in low-lying communities.
Over the past decade, road widening and local drainage projects have been implemented across Mandaue City and other parts of Metro Cebu. DPWH’s renewed approach is to link these interventions to the broader drainage system envisioned in the 2017 master plan.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon identified six critical flood-prone areas in Mandaue City during a recent inspection:
A.S. Fortuna
A.C. Cortes
U.N. Avenue
M.L. Quezon
LH Prime
The Innodata section along the Subangdaku River
To address the flooding, DPWH plans drainage linkups near A.S. Fortuna, a pumping station and floodgate along A.C. Cortes, and a cut-off channel to redirect the Subangdaku River following right-of-way acquisitions.
Dizon said these proposed interventions are consistent with the 2017 master plan, which was prepared nearly nine years ago but whose major components still require funding and implementation.
The 2017 master plan was designed to treat flooding as an interconnected system rather than a series of isolated drainage problems. Its proposed measures include major retention structures, river improvements, dredging, and automated floodgates.
"Fixing a flooded road may not be enough if the drainage system downstream cannot receive or discharge the additional water," Dizon noted. The main focus now is connecting individual projects into a single, fully functioning flood-management system.
Funding for these major components will be included in upcoming budget proposals targeted for 2027.
The renewed focus on flood control comes as the Office of the Ombudsman, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) investigate previous flood projects in Cebu.
The investigation includes allegations involving "ghost projects"—works recorded as completed despite claims they were never built—as well as irregularities in project spending. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said state investigators are using digital tools, technical reviews, and field inspections, including at sites like Barangay Sinsin in Cebu City.
DPWH has submitted all requested agency documents and is participating in joint field inspections.
"The investigations are all ongoing, and all the documents have already been submitted to the Ombudsman," Dizon said during his Mandaue inspection. "In the meantime, DPWH, our main job is to fix all of these problems... We will have to just fix them as fast as we can to help our people."
While preliminary works and right-of-way activities along the Subangdaku River are moving forward, major structural projects will take time to plan, fund, and build.
With key budget allocations targeted for 2027, DPWH is pursuing short-term fixes in vulnerable corridors to help manage rainwater in the near term.
For residents and businesses in flood-prone areas, the ultimate test of the revived plan will be whether these interconnected projects are fully funded and built in time to keep the streets dry when the next major storms arrive. CDF