DPWH taps experts to ensure efficient plans for flood control projects

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon has met with experts Carlos Primo David, Mahar Lagmay and Guillermo Tabios. — Photos from DENR/DOST/NAST

MANILA, Philippines — Amid continuous investigations on anomalous government infrastructure projects in the country, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has formed a group consisting of flood control experts in the country to ensure that flood mitigation structures in 2027 will be efficient and implemented properly.

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon shared this development on Wednesday as he met with some of flood control experts in the country, including Department of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Carlo David, University of the Philippines (UP) Professor and Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazard (NOAH) Director Mahar Lagmay and Guillermo Tabios III from the UP Institute of Civil Engineering.

Dizon shared that about a month ago, the agency reached out to these experts to form a technical working group which will be tasked to create and vet flood control plans, pointing out his discovery that some flood control projects have no concrete plans at all.

“I told them that I won’t allow any flood control project to be in the next budget if it has no plans and did not undergo clearance by this group,” Dizon told reporters in an interview.

READ: ‘No ECC for inspected flood control projects; some sans building permits’

Dizon shared that the team will be working in preparation for the 2027 budget of the agency, which will start around February 2026.

In line with this, he said that one of their immediate tasks is to come up with an initial plan of projects as the DPWH is still waiting for the 18 major river system master plan from its international partners such as the World Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency.

While he said that the agency will conform to the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. that there will be no locally funded flood control projects in 2026 due to issues of anomalies, he emphasized the importance of having efficient flood control projects across the country.

“I am asking this group to vet the plans and if they say the plans are good and the plans will have a positive effect on flood mitigation in various areas then we will put those plans in the 2027 budget,” Dizon added.

READ: Dizon flags pattern of ‘ghost’ or ‘substandard’ flood control projects

During a hearing of the Senate subpanel on finance last Monday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian asked Dizon if the agency detected any duplicate items in the agency’s 2026 budget. Dizon shared that the DPWH was able to review that 798 out of 946 projects were flagged as potential duplicates, which amounted to P11.656 billion out of the P14.455 billion.

Dizon also said that the DPWH was unable to verify all 946 projects, and asked for more time to finish the validation. With this, Gatchalian had given the agency until October 31 to verify.

Science-based approach

Meanwhile, Lagmay emphasized the importance of a science-based approach in forming and implementing plans for flood control projects. Lagmay also said that integrating ideas of Project NOAH, experts, and the DENR can help create an efficient flood control plan.

Project NOAH, launched by the Department of Science and Technology in 2012, is a platform tasked to enhance disaster risk reduction and management programs in the country.

“I think this will be more efficient and more cost effective and more targeted expenditure because we won’t just spend any money,” Lagmay said in a separate interview.

With this, he said that science-based plans will not be prone to corruption.

“If you have a good plan based on good inputs… and you have a master plan… If that’s the basis of the [local government unit or] LGU and national levels, and not just some poorly formed plan,” he added. /das