Lacson slams NIA: Billions wasted in Balog-Balog Project

Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has called on the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) to explain the apparent wastage of public funds in the long-delayed Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project in Tarlac, which remains unfinished despite billions in government spending.

During Thursday’s interpellation of the NIA’s proposed 2026 budget, Lacson highlighted that Phase 2 of the Balog-Balog project alone received P7.006 billion from 2015 to 2020, yet the project remains incomplete. Originally scheduled for completion in 2018, the phase has seen virtually no progress in recent years, Lacson said.

“Hindi lang sa budget deliberation natin dapat pagusapan ito. I think we should really focus on the delayed projects and the obvious wastage of public funds, particularly sa Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project (We should take this up not just in the budget deliberations. I think we should focus on the delayed projects and obvious wastage of public funds, particularly in the Balog-Balog Multipurpose Project)," Lacson said.

The senator recalled his 2020 inspection of the site, which revealed minimal construction activity compared with images from September 2019. 

“Halos walang nangyari (Almost nothing happened),” he said.

Lacson also noted that in 2018, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged five Balog-Balog contracts totaling P7.7 billion, or 37 percent of the P20.7 billion worth of delayed NIA projects nationwide, marking it as one of the agency’s costliest delayed initiatives.

“I think the NIA has a lot of explaining to do. Dito pa tayo sa Balog-Balog, katakot-takot ang pwedeng anomalya (In the Balog-Balog Project's case alone, there seems to be a lot of anomalies)," Lacson said.

Senator Rodante Marcoleta, who raised similar concerns during the budget interpellation, pointed out that the NIA continues to request P261 million annually for the maintenance and repair of the unfinished project.

Marcoleta proposed a comprehensive review to determine the project’s future.

Meanwhile, Finance Subcommittee Chairman Francis Pangilinan, sponsor of the NIA’s 2026 budget, assured that the proposed review would be closely monitored to decide on the next steps.

The Balog-Balog Dam in Tarlac is one of three major dams slated for completion during Marcos’ term. Its upgrade is expected to provide irrigation for 32,000 to 34,000 hectares of farmland.