Villanueva to DPWH: Where did P61.42-B flood control budget for Bicol go

Sen. Joel Villanueva during one of the Senate’s hearings. File photo / Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau

MANILA, Philippines — Where did the P61.42 billion flood control budget for the Bicol region go?

Sen. Joel Villanueva couldn’t help but wonder where the billions-worth flood control budget for Bicol region in 2023 and 2024 went, vowing to scrutinize the allocation in upcoming national budget deliberations in the upper chamber.

Speaking to reporters in a virtual press conference on Friday, the senator refuted circulating claims on social media that the Bicol region had a P9 billion flood control budget.

“That is not true because in 2023 the DPWH’s [Department of Public Works and Highways] budget alone [is] P29.4 billion,” Villanueva said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“This year for Bicol Region, the budget for flood control of the DPWH is P31.9 billion. So 2023 and 2024 you have a P61.42 billion budget for flood control in the Bicol Region alone. So we should look closely at the budget deliberation to see where it really goes [if] it really has an impact on the flood control projects and programs of our government,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Bicol region is one of the hardest-hit areas by Severe Tropical Kristine.

Data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as of Friday morning showed that Bicol Region logged the highest number of affected population nationwide at 1,860,625.

Meanwhile, in the same interview, Villanueva said it is deeply concerning that “all parts” of the country are now being affected by perennial flooding.

READ: Villanueva to Marcos: Tackle flooding as seriously as Pogos

“It seems that we will see very clearly that the band-aid solutions and these relief operations will no longer work. Sometimes, this is the only thing that we are thinking about — band-aid solutions and then when it is flooded we’ll give relief goods and take them to the evacuation centers,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.

This prompted him to reiterate his call for an integrated and comprehensive masterplan to address the country’s flooding woes.