QUEZON CITY — The Quezon City government has raised concerns over at least 254 flood control projects worth ₱14 billion being implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), citing inconsistencies, questionable phasing, and disregard for the city’s 2023 Drainage Master Plan.
In a press conference on Friday, August 29, Mayor Joy Belmonte said the projects appeared to have been carried out without proper coordination with the local government, in violation of SP Ordinance 2939 (series of 2020), which requires national agencies to secure a Certificate of Coordination (COC) before starting any project.
“Dahil nakasaad naman sa mga batas ang coordination, we assumed regularity. Expecting our national agencies to respect locally crafted and nationally crafted policies,” Belmonte said.
254 Projects, Numerous Issues
The city engineering department initially identified 141 projects, but barangay reports, resident complaints, and DPWH’s project website showed an additional 113, bringing the total to 254.
Among the flagged issues were:
- Mismatched or vague project locations
- Identical budgets and contract costs across different sites
- Projects declared “completed” despite still being under construction
- Overly generic titles such as “flood control structure”
- A single project split into 66 phases
“‘Yung proyekto na may 66 phases, ang title lang 'Rehabilitation of flood mitigation structure along San Juan River'. Sa 4.3-kilometer stretch na sakop ng Quezon City, saan banda kaya yung phases 1 to 66?” Belmonte asked.
Mayor slams DPWH for lack of coordination
Belmonte expressed frustration over what she described as disrespect to the city government.
“I feel frustrated and I feel angry because parang dinidisrespect ang local governments. The Local Government Code is very strict with regards to the autonomy of local governments. This act of the DPWH is very contrary to and inconsistent with the direction of the national government and national laws,” she said.
"Dahil nakasaad naman sa mga batas ang coordination, we assumed regularity. Expecting our national agencies to respect locally crafted and nationally crafted policies," she added.
The mayor assured that the city is conducting a detailed review to determine overlaps, irregularities, and possible misuse of funds.
“Buo ang suporta ng Quezon City sa direktiba ng Pangulo na nag-aatas sa lahat ng national agencies na makipag-ugnayan sa mga LGU bago magsagawa ng infrastructure projects,” Belmonte added.
