COA calls out MMDA for delayed flood control projects

There is no end in sight to the perennial flooding problem in Metro Manila, especially during the rainy season, as infrastructure projects continue to languish in delays and other implementation inefficiencies, the latest report from the Commission on Audit (COA) showed.

- By ELIZABETH MARCELO

In its 2023 annual audit report on the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) released on Dec. 1, the COA noted that 22 of the 58 projects and programs under the Metro Manila Flood Management Project Phase 1 were already beyond their target completion dates for almost one year or up to 310 days as of Dec. 31, 2023.

The 22 projects have a total budget of P510.58 million.

Aside from these, COA said 29 other flood control projects—with a total allocation of P371.029 million—have yet to be implemented "due to non-observance of the conduct of early procurement activities and cancellation of projects."

The COA said the government has already incurred P32.9 million in commitment fees from 2018 to 2023 because of the implementation delays.