DPWH orders sweeping audit of Cebu flood control projects

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has launched a sweeping audit of Cebu flood control projects implemented in 2016 to ensure accountability and address lapses exposed by recent severe flooding.

- By TRIXEE ROSEL and JEL SANTOS

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said the investigation, to be conducted with the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI), aims to identify “wrong planning and wrong execution” and possible misuse of funds.

“We are now investigating, together with the ICI, the projects implemented there from 2016 to 2024-2025),” Dizon said in a DZMM interview, emphasizing that poor planning and execution caused flood control systems to fail.

He added that the government will no longer tolerate complacency in public infrastructure.

“When planning these flood mitigation projects, they must consider not only normal rainfall and flooding but also extreme rainfall and severe storms,” Dizon said.

He also noted that some projects were monetized for profit.

Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro had earlier revealed that the province received over P26 billion in flood control funds.

She added that most projects since 2019 were either "non-existent" or "substandard," with some contractors using other firms' licenses to undertake public works.

Data from the Cebu provincial government showed that from 2016 to 2022, there were 343 flood control projects. Meanwhile, only 168 projects were recorded between 2023 and 2025, highlighting systemic weaknesses in infrastructure that put lives at risk, Baricuatro said.