House flood control probe targets P51-B Duterte district projects

The House infrastructure committee’s ongoing investigation into flood control projects will now extend beyond ghost and substandard initiatives in Bulacan, encompassing projects funded by Davao Rep. Paolo Duterte’s office totaling P51 billion.

Panel chair Rep. Terry Ridon said that in addition to the P260-million substandard rock shed project in Benguet, infrastructure initiatives in Duterte’s district in Davao will be scrutinized, citing complaints from residents over recurring flooding.

“We can go and investigate this further, especially since there have been reports of flooding again in Davao. What people are asking now is: What happened to the P51 billion? Why is Davao City still experiencing floods?” Ridon said in an interview Sunday.

Rep. Duterte confirmed receiving P51 billion worth of infrastructure projects and dared authorities to examine them amid speculation of misuse of public funds.

The funds reportedly covered 2020 to 2022, the final years of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, coinciding with Rep. Duterte’s first term in the House and the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the country was grappling with economic fallout.

Rep. Joel Chua, panel co-chair from Manila, questioned the rationale behind the massive allocation to Duterte’s district, pointing out that the funds could have been directed toward urgent pandemic needs and debt mitigation.

Duterte, however, accused his colleagues of weaponizing the inquiry to link flood control corruption to his family. He maintained that the projects in his district are legitimate, built on solid ground, and serve his constituents.

At last week’s hearing, DPWH Undersecretary for Planning Maria Catalina Cabral confirmed a 2024 report showing that Duterte’s district received P13.74 billion in flood control projects under the 2020 General Appropriations Act, despite an initial Malacañang proposal of only P4.67 billion.

This pattern continued in 2021, when the allocation increased to P25.03 billion from a proposed P9.67 billion, and in 2022, when P13.04 billion was allocated despite an original proposal of P10 billion.

Ridon said the House probe will continue over the next two weeks. He also confirmed that Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co has been invited to the next hearing regarding a P96.5-million ghost flood control project in Plaridel, Bulacan. The project was a congressional insertion under the 2025 GAA. Co, who chaired the appropriations committee in the previous Congress, has been questioned for last-minute budget insertions.

Co is currently in the United States for medical treatment. He and Speaker Martin Romualdez were named by contractor Curlee Discaya as lawmakers receiving 10 to 25 percent kickbacks for flood control projects, though both denied the allegations.

Ridon asserted that the House probe has “absolutely discredited and demolished” Discaya’s credibility after he admitted having no direct dealings with Romualdez or Co, suggesting that others may have invoked their names to gain leverage.