The Senate finance committee will adopt a zero-funding policy for new flood control projects anew for the 2027 budget, in line with the measures adopted this year to ensure there is no room for kickbacks or corruption to flourish.

Panel chair JV Ejercito told reporters in a briefing Tuesday that proposals for new flood control projects would not be approved under the proposed P7.2 trillion budget for next year—at least at the Senate level—since the committee aims to prioritize completing unfinished projects and resolving existing gaps. 

“We do not want a repeat of what happened before, where local governments and provinces were unaware of projects [in their areas] that were proposed solely for their own profit,” he said in Filipino. “I think we have to resume, but only the uncompleted.” 

He emphasized that leaving projects incomplete is counterproductive, as it could hamper and cause water to pool, effectively rendering the entire project useless and potentially worsening flooding.

The government reinstated the budget for flood control projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) a year after the agency received zero budget for such anti-flood programs. 

The DPWH has a proposed P643.95-billion budget for 2027, with P107.4 billion, or 16 percent, earmarked for flood control.

Of the amount, the scandal-plagued agency seeks to allocate P83.84 billion for locally funded flood control projects.

The Marcos administration stripped the agency of funding for locally funded flood control projects in the 2026 General Appropriations Act after investigations uncovered systematic corruption involving lawmakers, DPWH engineers, and private contractors. 

The scheme resulted in ghost, grossly substandard, and duplicate projects.

Ejercito acknowledged that the unfunding of flood control projects only worsened the situation, citing widespread flooding in Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, and Metro Manila during recent habagat rains. 

As a result, Ejercito called for a binding master plan and an integrated infrastructure roadmap that would require the government to provide a 30- to 50-year long-term plan for newly proposed infrastructure projects. 

Having a consistent master plan, he pointed out, ensures that all proposed projects are legitimate, are evidence-based, are aligned with public needs, and are completed on time, and would ultimately prevent the recurrence of “patchwork” projects deliberately designed for kickbacks.

According to the chair, projects not included in the master plan may still proceed, provided the regional or provincial development council approves them and confirms their necessity.

The panel would also enforce stricter oversight of the 2027 national budget by requiring Regional Development Council approval for infrastructure projects to ensure there is a valid need for them.

“We are requiring a program of works. A complete feasibility study is mandatory. We will no longer accept lump-sum entries or project lists that lack details; we will not allow that anymore,” he contended.

The Senate already kicked off the budget deliberations last week, with Ejercito saying plenary debates on the proposed budget are targeted to begin in November.