‘There’s missing context in your claims’

INFRASTRUCTURE-ORIENTED thinktank Infrawatch PH fact-checked Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the Marcos Jr. administration is not funding the flood control program for Davao City because the city’s mayor is a Duterte.

On Friday, the younger Duterte expressed dismay over the supposed lack of funding for infrastructure projects aligning with the “master plan and feasibility study for flood control” for Davao City purportedly formulated during the time of her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.

“The vice president’s recent tirades on flood control don’t hold water. At best, we can rate her statement as missing essential context,” remarked Infrawatch PH convenor Terry Ridon.

The thinktank said that while there are several ongoing flood control projects in Mindanao, several of which are funded by foreign loans, VP Duterte may only be referring to the “Davao City Flood Control and Drainage Project – Priority Projects for Riverine Flood in Davao City,” which is listed in the budget books as a foreign-assisted project to be financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

“The missing context is this: Based on JICA’s records, the Philippine government requested assistance from the Japanese government in August 2017 – under President Duterte’s term – to craft a master plan and feasibility study on flood control and drainage in Davao City. JICA then proceeded to craft said masterplan, of which the final report was only released in July last year,” Ridon explained.

(See a copy of the final report here: https://openjicareport.jica.go.jp/pdf/12380804_01.pdf)

The JICA report created a master plan to control flooding in the Davao River Basin, Matina Basin, and Talomo River Basin, spanning 2,444 square kilometers in Davao City. The recommended actions involve dredging, along with constructing cut-offs and retarding ponds, with a projected cost of Php41.7 billion to Php60.3 billion.

“It is wrong for VP Duterte to say that the Davao City masterplan was formulated under her father’s term. Sure, the review began under her father, but it was finished just last year. She is characteristically rushing something that costs billions of pesos to construct – with funding coming from foreign loans at that. This is what we are most concerned about: is it proper for one of the highest officials of the land to rush a multibillion-peso project even without knowing its specifics? That trait leads to excess, wastage, and nefarious deeds,” Ridon remarked.

“Also, it is wrong for VP Duterte to make this a political issue. Has she leafed through the budget books – even just for the years when she is in office? If she did, she would find that the project she is getting antsy about is actually in the pipeline,” the former legislator added.

In Tables B13 and B14 of the 2025 Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing, the project “Davao City Flood Control and Drainage Project – Priority Projects for Riverine Flood in Davao City” is listed as a programmed loan under JICA, with total proposed costs for fiscal year 2025 amounting to Php168,000.

“As the feasibility study for the project was completed just last year, it is understandable that the substantial amount needed for its construction is not yet reflected in the budget books. However, it is more important that it’s on the list, meaning it has not been dropped or listed into oblivion, thereby dispelling VP Sara’s unfounded charades,” Ridon said, explaining that funding for big-ticket projects usually gets reflected in the national budget on the year that the actual construction commences.

“If the vice president wants to play an active role in safeguarding the public coffers, why only nitpick on projects under her family’s bailiwick? The Philippines has 18 major river basins, with most, if not all, having major flood control projects underway. If she can expose possible issues in these projects to the public, that would be more beneficial than just harping on unfounded claims,” Ridon added.

For 2025, Php 254.3 billion is allotted for constructing, maintaining, and rehabilitating another 1,903 flood mitigation structures and drainage systems, as well as 835 flood mitigation facilities along major river basins and principal rivers in the Philippines.

“We are all for transparency and holding accountable those who abuse and misuse public funds to the detriment of the public. Our advice to VP Duterte: Instead of yapping ceaselessly, join public interest groups as we scour the tomes of budget documents and reveal possible red flags, especially in the administration’s Php1.5-trillion infrastructure outlay for next year,” he ended.