MMDA hit for delayed flood-control projects

PERENNIAL PROBLEM Students brave the flood along General Luna Street corner Taft Avenue in Manila after a heavy downpour.—RICHARD REYES

Residents of Metro Manila would have received some relief from the perennial problem of flooding had the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) effectively implemented P337.5 million worth of flood-control projects in 2017, according to the Commission on Audit (COA).

In its 2017 audit report, the COA found 47 out of MMDA’s 68 projects that were programmed for the year were not completed on schedule, due to frequent changes in the MMDA’s organization.

Deprived of benefits

“Consequently, the delays in the completion of flood-control projects deprived the Metro Manila residents of the socio-economic benefits that could have been derived from the reduced flooding in flood-prone areas,” the COA said.

The MMDA has administrative regulatory supervisory jurisdiction to deliver metro-wide services to 16 cities and one town in Metro Manila.

As part of its mandate, the MMDA, through its Flood Control and Sewerage Management Office, is tasked to deliver flood-control and sewerage management services in the National Capital Region.

In the General Appropriations Act of 2017, the MMDA listed flood-control projects  aimed at reducing flooded areas in Metro Manila by 10 percent.

With its planned projects, MMDA vowed to make flood subside within 40 minutes to one hour after heavy rains.

Based on audit findings, the MMDA allotted a total of P459 million for 68 flood-control projects, the bulk of which were the 35 drainage improvement projects, worth P207.1 million.

Only 21 completed

But at the end of 2017, the COA found only 21 flood-control projects completed, while 11 were still ongoing and 36 were not yet started.

Of the 21 projects completed, 20 did not meet target completion timetable.

The 11 ongoing projects had already incurred delays of as much as eight months at the time of audit,

In its investigation, the COA found that the delayed projects were caused by the midyear changes in the agency’s top management, and on the composition of the bids and awards committee.

“Thus the scheduled public biddings for some projects had to be revised,” the COA said.