THE national government has allocated a budget for flood mitigation projects for Fiscal Year 2027, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon said on Monday, August 10, 2026.
In a Palace press conference, Dizon said the agency has submitted a budget proposal which is currently undergoing vetting by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
He refused to divulge the amount of the DPWH proposal but he confirmed that it includes funding for flood management and mitigation projects.
The DPWH’s proposed budget for 2026 was reduced from more than P881 billion to P625.78 after the scrutiny done by the DBM which resulted in the removal of P255.53 billion worth of duplicate or already completed projects.
The P255.53 billion was instead redirected to priority programs of the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda).
Under the 2026 budget of the DPWH, P250.8 billion were allocated for the flood management program, consisting of P235.1 billion in locally funded projects and P15.8 billion in foreign-assisted projects.
However, amid the investigation on anomalous flood control projects, the agency, upon the orders of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., tightened processes in releasing and scrutinizing flood management program funds.
DBM subjected flood control funds release to cash programming, fiscal safeguards, budget-execution rules and presidential approval.
Dizon said the 2027 flood management program of the DPWH focuses on implementing flood control masterplans across the country and the repair and improvement of existing and ongoing projects especially in urban centers such as Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila, Bulacan and Cebu, among others.
The DPWH secretary emphasized the importance of coordination and communication between the national and local government for the success of project implementations.
“To me ang nakita ko lang is kapag ang local government at national government nagtutulungan naguusap nagcocoordinate maayos ang nangyayari, makikita natin yan ngayon halimbawa sa Navotas kapansin pansin halos hindi nagbaha sa Navotas ngayon despite heavy rains,” said Dizon.
“In previous years Navotas ang talagang binabaha kasi hindi lang ulan yan meron din tubig na nanggagaling sa dagat pero dahil sa pagtutulungan namin ni Mayor John Rey at Congressman Toby Tiangco naisara natin ang gaps napagana natin flood gates and pumping stations at kita agad ng mga taga Navotas ang epekto noon,” he added.
He also noted the importance of consistency in ensuring the success of government projects.
“This will take time pero kailangan lang tuloy tuloy at consistent tayo,” he said,
Dizon also assured that the agency will be strict in vetting construction firms for all infrastructure projects.
“All legitimate contractors lahat ng may lisensya basta hindi blacklisted basta walang kaso pwedeng magparticipate,” he said. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)