With the government finalizing its proposed 2027 national budget, a political analyst urged the Marcos administration to restore funding for flood control projects, citing the heavy damage caused by recent earthquakes and typhoons.

University of Santo Tomas political science department chair Dennis Coronacion said rebuilding flood control infrastructure should be among the government’s priorities as communities continue to face severe flooding and other natural disasters.

“Our government must give equal priority to restoring funding for flood control projects. Given the relentless flooding that our communities face, reinstating these funds is a necessary move that will protect Filipino lives and stimulate economic growth,” Coronacion said.

His remarks came after Malacañang announced that the Cabinet had approved the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which will be submitted to Congress.

Coronacion cited the 8 June magnitude 7.8 earthquake off Sarangani, which damaged more than 1,000 public and private structures and caused an estimated P1.46 billion in infrastructure losses, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

He also pointed to the recent impact of super typhoon “Inday,” which affected thousands of families and triggered widespread flooding and landslides in parts of Mindanao.

The Office of Civil Defense reported that nearly 11,000 families were affected in Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, the Davao Region and Soccsksargen, while 74 areas were inundated across Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Coronacion said the timely completion of the proposed budget ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address and the opening of Congress was a positive development, but stressed that spending must be subject to strict oversight.

“Given the past controversies, this critical spending must be strictly monitored by the government, as well as by the public and civil society. The government must guarantee strict oversight, clear accountability and absolute transparency before a single peso is released,” he said.

Employers Confederation of the Philippines chairman Edgardo Lacson likewise said the proposed budget should be viewed with “cautious optimism,” noting that previous controversies involving allegedly anomalous flood control projects have yet to be resolved.

“The measure of the 2027 NEP’s success will not be how large it is or how quickly it is approved, but how faithfully it is implemented and how much the lives of ordinary Filipinos improve,” Lacson said.

Malacañang on Friday said the Cabinet had approved the proposed 2027 NEP presented by the Department of Budget and Management, although details of the spending plan will be disclosed only after it is formally transmitted to Congress.

Under National Budget Memorandum 158, the government is proposing a P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, up from P6.793 trillion this year.