Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte holds a press conference at the MICE Center in Quezon City Hall to give updates on DPWH flood-control projects. City Engineer Atty. Dale Perral said their review showed 331 projects — not 254 as earlier counted — were misaligned with the city’s Drainage Master Plan, wasting P17 billion in taxpayers’ money.
Photograph by Analy Labor for DAILY TRIBUNE
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte revealed troubling findings regarding flood control projects in the city following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent disclosure of anomalous contracts.
According to Belmonte, eight construction firms owned by the Discaya family have Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contracts in Quezon City, collectively handling 27 projects worth approximately ₱1.52 billion. These firms include:
Alpha and Omega General Contractor and Development
St. Timothy Construction Corp.
Amethyst Horizon Builders and General Contractor and Construction Development
St. Matthew General Contractor & Development Corporation
Great Pacific Builders and General Contractors Inc.
YPR General Contractor and Construction Supply Inc.
Way Maker OPC
Elite General Contractor & Development Corp.
Of the 15 contractors implicated by President Marcos, seven have secured a total of ₱1.63 billion for 24 projects.
Out of over 331 projects in Quezon City, only 157 were funded and listed in the National Expenditure Program (NEP), while 170 projects could not be found in the 2022–2025 NEP. Atty. Dale Perral, Belmonte’s City Engineer, stated that most of these projects lacked a Certificate of Coordination (CoC), which is a mandatory requirement for all national government projects within local government units.
Further findings include:
305 projects were not aligned with the city’s Drainage Master Plan.
18 projects had incorrect GIS locations or coordinates.
33 projects were missing from the DPWH Project Cost Management Application (PCMA).
12 projects had multiple phases but lacked clear delineation in project titles.
33 projects had identical approved budgets despite being in different locations.
Site inspections revealed additional irregularities: some projects were constructed in waterways or on top of existing riprap walls, while retaining walls were found to be damaged or collapsed.
Perral also highlighted a discrepancy in one project initially described as a drainage improvement in 2022, which upon reinspection this year appeared to be merely a repainted pavement.
“Wait, there’s more,” Mayor Belmonte remarked, emphasizing the seriousness and breadth of the issues uncovered.
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