Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

‘Giant tricycles,’ , modified for easy navigation in flooded areas, ply the streets of Hagonoy, Bulacan on July 31, 2023. Rainiel Angelyn Figueroa, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

HAGONOY-FLOOD

Andrea Taguines

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175556759878220230731-hagonoy-giant-tricycles-RAF-574.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"> ‘Giant tricycles,’ modified for easy navigation in flooded areas, ply the streets of Hagonoy, Bulacan, on July 31, 2023. Rainiel Angelyn Figueroa, ABS-CBN News/File</span></span></span></div><p>BULACAN — Lanie Tolentino and her family have been living by the river in Barangay San Agustin in Hagonoy, Bulacan for 20 years now.</p><p>To protect themselves from constant flooding and high tide, they have had to elevate their house time and time again, to the point of nearly depleting all their savings.</p><p>And yet, they still ended up wading through waist-deep floods in July, when a series of storms and the southwest monsoon struck many parts of the country.</p><p>“Paggising mo pa lang sa umaga, basa na yung paa mo. E di siyempre mag-iipon ka ng kahit konting pagpapagawa para makaiwas ka sa tubig. Pero ganun pa din, kahit anong gawing pagpapataas, pagdating ng ilang taon lulubugin at lulubugin ka pa rin po. Sumusunod din yung tubig,” Tolentino said.</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>Based on the Sumbong sa Pangulo website launched by Malacañang, which collated data from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), there is supposed to be a more than P77 million flood mitigation structure protecting the riverside community in Barangay San Agustin.</p><p>Government records show that the project by Wawao Builders Corporation, which is among the top 15 flood control contractors flagged by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., should have been completed last July 3, 2023.</p><p>But when ABS-CBN News went to the location on Monday using the coordinates provided on the website, there appeared to be no flood control structure there at all.</p><p>Tolentino said they also have not noticed any kind of construction work near their area in the past few years.</p><p>“Wala naman po kaming napapansin na gumagawa dito… Kung talagang binibigyan nila ng aksyon, hindi naman namin mararanasan yung ganyang kalakihan ng tubig,” she said.</p><p>ABS-CBN News is still trying to get the side of Wawao Builders Corporation.</p><p>Even the barangay chairperson of San Agustin and the Municipal Engineer of Hagonoy, Bulacan, said they have no knowledge of the project, noting that neither the DPWH nor the contractor had given them a heads-up before its supposed construction.</p><p>“Meron sanang participation ang local government bilang stakeholders. Maisama sana kami sa planning stage. E biglang ibababa na lang yung mga project, hindi naman namin alam saan galing yung iba,” said Engr. Eugene Miguel in an interview with ABS-CBN News.</p><p>According to Miguel, there are revetments and dikes currently being built in other parts of Hagonoy, but planning seems disjointed.</p><p>“Ang nangyayari kasi, bara-barangay ang implementation. Hindi isang alignment. Dahil putol-putol yung mga dike, hindi effective,” he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>BULACAN GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH OWN PROBE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro shared the same frustration over the lack of coordination on the part of national agencies or entities implementing such projects.</p><p>In an interview on ANC’s Headstart, Castro said he would recommend to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to launch their own audit of the hundreds of flood control projects in the province, some of which are allegedly substandard, incomplete, or are complete ghost projects.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/18/bulacan-official-to-recommend-own-audit-of-flood-control-projects-in-province-1601">&#x27;Nagulat kami&#x27;: Bulacan vice gov says to recommend own audit of flood control projects in province</a></div><p>He also insisted that the provincial government had long studied Bulacan’s flooding and high-tide problems and even suggested solutions years ago — solutions that were left unfunded in favor of what he described as questionable projects.</p><p>&quot;Nagkaroon na po kami ng pag-aaral patungkol kung paano masosolusyonan ang baha. Kasama po ng ating governor, yung governor ng Pampanga, ng Bataan… Naihain na po 3 years ago pa. Hindi lang po napa-priority na mapondohan kasi ang napopondohan po ay yung mga ganitong klaseng flood control projects,” he said.</p><p>The Commission on Audit (COA) has said it will conduct a fraud audit into flood control projects by the DPWH in Bulacan as well.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/17/coa-orders-fraud-audit-on-flood-control-projects-in-bulacan-1551?fbclid=IwY2xjawMPnzFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFmd3plakdGc2tEOEFGTjFXAR7qtkc5GxvNvGArEDcP4eCRxTXOYj34V_PHHacw99ysj-83dtV4BetdnJFifg_aem_mKCAu_a3dvCTvZfPq0jReg">COA orders fraud audit on flood control projects in Bulacan</a></div><p>Marcos also criticized some haphazardly done flood control projects in Calumpit, Bulacan, after joining an inspection last Friday.</p><p>One of the contractors handling these projects is St. Timothy Construction, which is linked to the Discaya family.</p><p>Sarah Discaya was scheduled to attend a media forum in Quezon City, Monday morning, but she did not show up despite earlier confirming her attendance with organizers.</p><div> </div><div><strong>&#x27;KAILANGAN MATIGIL ITONG GAWAIN&#x27;</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said his agency will investigate why some flood control projects are being tagged as 100 percent complete even if they are not yet done.</p><p>He said the government will go after people or engineers working for the DPWH if they are proven guilty.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/13/dpwh-probe-focuses-on-flood-control-projects-under-15-contractors-flagged-by-marcos-1046">DPWH probe focuses on flood control projects under 15 contractors flagged by Marcos</a></div><p>&quot;I will not hesitate actually to prosecute anybody who is involved, mga tauhan ng DPWH as well, kasi kailangan matapos po ito e, kailangan matigil po itong gawain e,&quot; said Bonoan in an interview on DZMM.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/8/15/marcos-to-summon-st-timothy-construction-over-substandard-flood-control-project-in-bulacan-1437">Marcos to St. Timothy Construction: Explain incomplete, substandard flood control project in Bulacan</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></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/1tSHDm9lyRo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The project should have been completed last July 3, 2023. But when ABS-CBN News went to the location on Monday, there appeared to be no flood control struc</p>

The project should have been completed last July 3, 2023. But when ABS-CBN News went to the location on Monday, there appeared to be no flood control struc

'Where is it?' Local officials, residents unaware of P77-million flood control structure in Hagonoy, Bulacan

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'Where is it?' Local officials, residents unaware of P77-million flood control structure in Hagonoy, Bulacan

Andrea Taguines,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 19, 2025 09:41 AM PHT

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