Cheyenne Suarez

Imee Marcos hits DPWH for lack of reports on foreign-assisted flood control projects

Article (news)

Ched Rick Gatchalian

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Sen. Imee Marcos on Tuesday grilled the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over the supposed lack of accomplishment report detailing how some P2 trillion in foreign assistance was spent on flood control projects.</p><p>Marcos added that she had been asking for the report in separate hearings since 2015.</p><p>She said that foreign-assisted assisted projects fall under the Unified Project Management Office, with around P1 trillion spent in the past eight to ten years.</p><p>&quot;Matagal ko nang hinihingi ang listahan ng UPMO kay Direktor Ramon Arreola, nasaan na ba listahan ng mga project na ito? Pagkalaki-laki ng foreign financing,&quot; the senator asked during the resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on flood control infrastructures.</p><p>(I have been asking Director Ramon Arreola for the UPMO list. Where is it? The foreign financing is huge)</p><p>&quot;Pangalan ng Pilipinas ang nakataya rito at wala mapakitang listahan ... Alam naman natin in NCR alone, bilyon-bilyon na ang ginastos d&#x27;yan, wala mapakita,&quot; Marcos stressed, adding she may recommend issuing a subpoena over it.</p><p>(The Philippines&#x27; reputation is at stake here and they can&#x27;t show a list. We know that in the National Capital Region alone, billions are spent there)</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/15/map-flood-control-projects-in-metro-manila-2203">MAP: Flood control projects in Metro Manila</a></div><p>Arreola was on leave until October 10, new DPWH chief Vince Dizon said, adding the document has been submitted to the senator&#x27;s office.</p><p>He admitted, however, that he had not yet reviewed the report himself.</p><p>Marcos denied receiving any copy other than what she described as a &quot;jumbled&quot; and &quot;incomplete&quot; list that involves projects unrelated to flood control.</p><p>The senator also questioned the sudden increase of DPWH&#x27;s proposed budget for foreign-assisted projects.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/16/marcos-jr-wants-to-recover-budget-for-dpwh-s-foreign-assisted-projects-1829" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marcos Jr. wants to recover budget for DPWH&#x27;s foreign-assisted projects</a></div><p>&quot;Nagtataka kami how are the infrastructure projects of the local government, or the national government align with foreign-assisted projects because they seem very whimsical and capricious. Ang balita palakasan sa UPMO para makakuha ng milyo-milyong projects,&quot; she alleged.</p><p>(We are wondering how the infrastructure projects of the local or national government align with foreign assisted-projects because they seem very whimsical and capricious. I heard that there is politics there to get projects)</p><p>Dizon said they had not checked the UPMO flood control projects during his first two weeks as secretary because they were focused on local projects.</p><p>&quot;Maasahan po ng komite na titingnan na po namin ito. Initial submission po nito ay sinumite na po sa committee ngayong araw,&quot; he vowed.</p><p>(The committee can rest assured that we will look into this. This is our initial submission)</p><p>Dizon earlier said the agency is scrapping locally funded flood control projects for 2026, slashing an amount of nearly P252 billion in its <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/17/dpwh-s-revised-2026-budget-proposal-slashed-by-p255-billion-following-review-0857">revised proposed funding for 2026.</a></p><p>He noted there are still other sources of funding for flood control projects, such as foreign assistance and allocations from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kpbqr2s2yEY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Sen. Imee Marcos on Tuesday grilled the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over the supposed lack of accomplishment report detailing how some P2 trillion in foreign assistance was spent on flood control projects.</p>

Sen. Imee Marcos on Tuesday grilled the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) over the supposed lack of accomplishment report detailing how some P2 trillion in foreign assistance was spent on flood control projects.