Philippines Flood Control Budget: Marcos Seeks 4,200% Increase To P107.4 Billion For 2027

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Amid the country's biggest corruption scandal in recent history, the Philippine government is proposing a staggering 4,200 per cent increase in flood control management funds for 2027 following crippling floods that hit the country this year.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is asking the Philippine Congress to approve his P107.4 billion (Dh6.5 billion) flood mitigation budget proposal for next year from a miserly P2.49 billion (Dh150 million) this year.

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Marcos did not approve of any new flood control projects in 2026 as his government fended off revelation after revelation of substandard or 'ghost projects', including allegations he himself received at least P1 billion (Dh60 million) in kickbacks from a former legislator.

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Presenting the department's proposed budget before the House of Representatives (HOR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Vince Dizon said P83.84 billion would be allocated for local flood mitigation programs, while P19 billion is proposed for ongoing foreign-assisted flood mitigation projects.

Brought in after the massive corruption scandal blew up in Marcos' face in 2025, Dizon promised reforms in flood control projects, including strengthened transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

This includes the scrapping of schemes to defraud the government and the public of hundreds of billions through allocations and insertions by both executive and legislative Philippine government officials.

Dizon said a project evaluation system will be in place, requiring projects to undergo stricter scrutiny and comply with documentary and technical requirements before they can proceed. These will include approved and complete programmes of work; validated geo-tagged photographs with coordinates of the projects; a national flood control master plan; a feasibility study or equivalent local plan; and a Certificate of Implementability to ensure that projects are not duplicated and are free from implementation issues such as unresolved right-of-way concerns.

Dizon acknowledged that the stricter requirements could result in slower project implementation, but said these safeguards are necessary to promote transparency and accountability and ensure that public funds go only to projects that are ready for implementation.

'Consult local officials, residents'

Legislator Romeo Momo Sr reminded Dizon that his agency must consult local officials and residents, a procedure discarded by corrupt government officials to railroad projects under the various revealed corruption schemes.

Momo said communities should be properly briefed on proposed infrastructure projects, including their purpose, scope, and expected impact before construction begins.

But activist legislators of the Makabayan Coalition said they have heard of similar promises in the past.

Lawmakers Antonio Tinio, Sarah Elago and Renee Co warned that restoring large-scale flood control funds opens the door back up to systemic plunder, cronyism, and political war chests, pointing to past controversies and scams surrounding infrastructure spending.

They said Marcos' attempt to restore a huge budget for infrastructure projects is“a potential source of corruption and patronage at the expense of basic social services.”

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