Over P8B for floods but Cebu still wiped out

A whopping P9.2 billion in unprogrammed appropriations (UA) was allocated for the Visayas in recent national budgets to bankroll flood control projects, with the lion’s share going to typhoon-battered Cebu, an opposition lawmaker said Friday.

Despite such a substantial amount, Deputy Minority Leader Antonio Tinio said the so-called anti-flood programs fell short of preventing the deadly onslaught of typhoon “Tino” in the Visayas, fueling suspicions of corruption.

Broken down, Cebu received the highest allocation at P8.43 billion for 102 flood control projects in 2023 and 2024, but these lacked the basic details, according to Tinio, citing findings by his office.

“This is corruption by design. How can the public verify a project with no specifications?” he asked.

Forty-one projects costing about P3.15 billion were supposedly implemented in 2023, while 61 projects built last year had a price tag of P5.28 billion.

Typhoon-stricken Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental also reportedly received P145 million and P630 million, respectively.

The budget for Negros Oriental was allegedly used to fund three flood control projects, including two projects worth P45 million in 2023 and one project worth P100 million in 2024.

In Negros Occidental, the P630 million was allocated across 10 projects: Two valued at P60 million in 2023 and eight totaling P570 million in 2024.

Tinio contended that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shared the blame for the widespread devastation caused by the typhoon in the Visayas because the projects in question were discretionary programs funded under the UA, which he himself approved.

“He is directly accountable for these projects and must acknowledge and explain why these failed to mitigate the devastation,” Tinio said.

The solon continued: “The UA is a slush fund for corruption, responsible for the deaths and devastation in Cebu and other areas hit by typhoon “Tino.” Billions were supposedly spent, yet communities were left defenseless.”

The UA are “standby funds” intended for use when the government collects more revenue than expected or receives additional grants or foreign funding.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Mikaela Suansing sought to reassure the public, saying that projects under the UA would only proceed if the government registers surplus revenue in 2026.

The government typically taps the UA in emergencies or when infrastructure projects, social aid programs, and other initiatives are required.

Tinio’s colleagues in the minority bloc had vigorously called for the abolition of the UA in the 2026 budget, citing corruption concerns made evident in the flood control projects.

The contentious UA has swelled to unprecedented levels since 2023, the first full year of Marcos in office, reaching almost P2 trillion. Although P168.2 billion was reportedly vetoed in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, a staggering P141 billion was reportedly charged to the UA in 2023 and 2024 to fund flood control projects — now at the center of a sweeping corruption probe involving members of Congress, DPWH officials, and private contractors.

Remulla orders probe

Meanwhile, a special task force formed to investigate flood control projects will give utmost priority to anti-flood programs in places worst hit by Typhoon Tino, particularly Cebu, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday.

“To the families of all the victims of the calamity — we hear you, and we have acted,” Remulla said in a statement. “Justice will be pursued with compassion, diligence, and resolve.”

The commitment came in the wake of Tino, the latest destructive typhoon to hit the Philippines, that caused massive destruction mainly in Cebu and other parts of the Visayas.

As of Friday, the Office of Civil Defense reported 188 deaths and 96 injuries. Cebu recorded the highest number of fatalities at 139. Rescue teams were still searching for 135 missing persons.

In its latest bulletin, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) estimated that 9,585 houses were damaged, 264 of them totally. The projected damage to agriculture was P10.61 million, while that to infrastructure was P6.33 million.