CIBAC Party-List Representative Bro. Eddie Villanueva has voiced strong support for Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon’s decision to defund and reset the agency’s flood control projects for the 2026 national budget. The move, which slashes ₱252 billion worth of locally funded projects, aims to pave the way for a science-based and integrated flood control master plan.

During the DPWH budget hearing at the House of Representatives, Secretary Dizon emphasized the need to overhaul the current flood control strategy, citing inefficiencies, duplication, and lack of responsiveness in existing projects. The agency’s reset comes amid growing public and legislative scrutiny over alleged corruption and wasteful spending in infrastructure programs.

Rep. Villanueva welcomed the initiative, saying it aligns with long-standing concerns raised by CIBAC since 2023.

“We welcome Secretary Dizon’s resolve to clean up the flood control budget, defund inefficient and non-delivering projects, and remove duplicate projects, to come up with a really genuine and responsive flood control plan. This is exactly what CIBAC has been saying since 2023: there must be a real flood control masterplan and every project component of it must be really responsive to the problem so that there will be no room for corruption and wastage of funds. We believe it’s better to take a spending pause than to spend just for the sake of spending, especially that we know that we will just fund same kinds of projects that have been ineffective and corruption-laden,” he said.

Villanueva also cited House Resolution No. 208, which he filed to push for a comprehensive, interconnected, and corruption-free national flood control master plan. The resolution draws on expert recommendations, including those from Project NOAH, and highlights the worsening flood conditions across Metro Manila and provincial areas despite over ₱1.5 trillion allocated to flood control since 2019.

In a 2023 budget briefing, Villanueva was among the first lawmakers to question the effectiveness of flood control projects, noting that the country was spending over ₱1 billion daily on programs that failed to mitigate flooding.

The CIBAC lawmaker underscored the urgency of reform, pointing to the Philippines’ ranking as the world’s most disaster-prone country for the third consecutive year.

“Lives and livelihoods are being washed away every typhoon season. It is not enough to keep building riverwalls and revetments without a coherent, science-backed framework. As experts have said, real flood control is not only an engineering or hard infrastructure intervention but a mix of reef to ridge solutions which will address environmental degradation and sustainability at its root,” the CIBAC solon added.

“Our people deserve real solutions—not ghost or overpriced projects, not piecemeal intervention, not corruption-ridden deals. We call for a flood control master plan that truly safeguards Filipino families and reflects the highest standards of stewardship and accountability,” Rep. Villanueva concluded.

The DPWH’s budget reset is expected to trigger further debate in Congress as lawmakers weigh the implications of pausing major infrastructure spending in favor of long-term planning and reform.

CIBAC