MANILA – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is looking to complete the inspection and audit of the more than 400 flood control projects nationwide by the first quarter of 2026.
The process of validating the projects began in 2025.
“We are continuing our validation. We are conducting a thorough inspection and document audit of all 416 projects. This started last year, and we expect to be completed by the first quarter of this year,” Undersecretary Ricardo Bernabe III, DPWH spokesperson for legal matters, said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing Friday.
Bernabe said new processes are being introduced as to the coordinates of projects.
“For this year, when you look at the projects, the station limits are already there – the corresponding coordinates are already there. So, just from the title, we would know what are the coordinates of the project, from start to end,” he explained.
He added that changes in coordinates need the approval of Secretary Vince Dizon.
He also reported that there are no flood control projects this year, as the DPWH is focused on completing all unfinished flood control projects.
He said they are now preparing the masterplan for projects to be implemented in 2027.
“That is why now our flood control experts are meeting with our Secretary to come up with a flood control masterplan that we will use starting next year, moving forward, so that we can be sure that all the flood control projects that will be implemented are truly needs-based and will address our country's problems with flooding, and mitigating calamities caused by typhoons,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dizon on Friday inspected the dilapidated Apalit Section of the MacArthur Highway and the Apalit-Macabebe Road in Pampanga that have been causing inconvenience and heavy traffic in the area for several years.
He immediately ordered their repair before the arrival of the rainy season. (PNA)