There Will Be Zero Funds for Flood Control in 2026 Budget, According to Marcos

(SPOT.ph) Amid mounting outrage over corruption in flood control projects, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has declared that there will be no new funding for flood control projects in the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP). Now before you panic, he clarified that work will continue using the remaining P350 billion from the 2025 budget.

During a recent episode of his weekly podcast, Marcos explained: “Number one, we already are seeing na lahat ng flood control project na dapat ilalagay sa 2026 budget, hindi na siguro kailangan… So, there will be no budget for 2026 for flood control dahil mayroon naman P350 billion for 2025 na hindi pa nauubos talaga. So, tuloy-tuloy pa ‘yung trabaho. Hindi ibig sabihin titigil natin ‘yung flood control project."

This time around, he emphasized the need to ensure proper spending, implementation, and sound project design. His plan is to sit down with these contractors to improve on existing but poorly constructed projects.

“And then how do we do this? As I’ve said, I am interested in talking with the contractors so that they finish the work, that they fix it,” Marcos said. “They must complete it according to specifications. But at their cost, okay? They should not expect the government to pay for it.”

Also read: Chiz Escudero Is Ousted as Senate President. How Did We Get Here? 

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) had originally penciled in close to P275 billion for flood control in the 2026 NEP, most of it for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), but that proposal is now off the table.

Marcos' decision follows a string of probes from the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Commission on Audit, all of which are investigating inflated costs, unbuilt or poor infrastructure, and monopolized bidding on flood control projects.

New DPWH Chief Vince Dizon is also in the process of overhauling the entire department to remove the “bad eggs.”

"Let us not allow a few bad eggs to destroy this entire institution and to destroy the country. I believe that the vast majority of you... are good, honest, hardworking, and loyal government workers of this country. We have to save DPWH,” Dizon said during his first flag-raising ceremony as new chief.

Flood control has become one of the biggest spending items of the Marcos administration, with around P545 billion already poured into nearly 9,900 projects since 2022. Of that amount, P350 billion was spent on projects that lacked key details, such as the type of structure being built.

Marcos said that the members of a new independent commission—comprised of a lawyer or justice, investigator, and forensic accountant, with no politicians—will also recommend legal actions to be taken against individuals and entities involved in corruption, not only in flood control but in all DPWH projects.  

Also read: Fresh Start? New Chief Vince Dizon Tells DPWH Officials to Submit Courtesy Resignations