FAILURES in infrastructure projects meant to protect flood-prone communities raise questions about standards, oversight and accountability.
In Mandaue City, a resident questioned the integrity of two government-funded works after two multimillion-peso flood control structures failed within weeks of each other.
To ferret out the truth, Edward Ligas asked the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to investigate the string of collapsed projects in the city, calling them “wasteful and defective.”
He was referring to a portion of a P46 million flood control project in Barangay Paknaan that collapsed on Wednesday, Aug. 26, just 11 days after part of a P90 million flood control structure gave way in Barangay Casuntingan.
The incident in Sitio Talong, Paknaan happened a week after senators began their investigation on alleged anomalous flood control projects.
Backstory
The latest incident happened in Sitio Talong, inside a 6.5-hectare urban poor compound. About 130 meters of the wall tilted and misaligned before a 15-meter portion gave way during heavy rains.
The project was awarded in 2019 to Ascentia Construction Inc. for P46.9 million. It was intended as a Level 1 flood control measure for the Butuanon riverbank, to be reinforced later with stone masonry and concrete revetments.
This was not an isolated case. On Aug. 15, a 265-meter flood control wall in Casuntingan collapsed, sustaining half a million pesos in damage.
In October 2024, a 15-meter section of a P127-million project in Barangay Maguikay also gave way.
Between the lines
A Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 inspection report blamed the Paknaan collapse on water buildup behind PVC sheet piles, worsened by the lack of drainage outlets. The agency admitted the section had already shown signs of instability before it gave way.
What’s next
The DPWH 7 has recommended removing unstable sheet piles and rebuilding the project to national standards with stricter quality control.
Repairs in Paknaan are underway, with advisories for residents and motorists to expect inconvenience.
Why it matters
These projects were designed to protect riverbank communities from flooding, yet repeated failures undermine public trust.
For communities living along the Butuanon River, these projects were meant to be a lifeline against floods. Instead, repeated failures have left residents frustrated and afraid, according to Ligas.
“These projects were supposed to give people hope that they could finally sleep at night without fear that the river would swallow their homes. But that hope was short-lived,” Ligas wrote in a letter sent to senators.
The Senate is now being urged to summon the contractors and agencies involved to explain why taxpayer-funded projects keep failing. / CAV, ABC