MANILA, Philippines – As the controversy over Vice President Sara Duterte’s ₱125-million confidential fund raged in Congress, a much bigger spending issue has quietly unfolded: the government’s ₱545.64-billion flood control budget between July 2022 and May 2025.
Duterte, who was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as Education Secretary and co-vice chair of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) in 2022, defended the request for confidential funds, citing urgent problems in schools: unresolved child abuse cases, online sexual exploitation, youth recruitment by armed groups, and gang violence.
“These funds were meant to support surveillance, informants, and intervention programs for children,” she said in past statements.
But in Congress, House Speaker Martin Romualdez and his allies focused attention on Duterte’s confidential fund, framing it as excessive and unnecessary. Lawmakers aligned with Romualdez—including the so-called “Young Guns” and the Makabayan bloc—zeroed in on the ₱125-million allocation. This culminated in Duterte’s eventual impeachment.
BILLIONS IN FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS
While the Vice President’s fund became a lightning rod, Congress and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) pushed through nearly ₱546 billion in flood control projects nationwide.
Data reviewed shows:
9,855 flood control projects were funded between mid-2022 and May 2025.
15 contractors cornered at least ₱100 billion, or 20% of the total allocation.
₱350 billion worth of projects lacked proper specifications or failed to meet material standards, making it unclear whether they were for drainage, dikes, embankments, or simple repairs.
Spending averaged ₱1.07 billion a day in 2022, climbing to ₱1.34 billion in 2023, ₱1.37 billion in 2024, and ₱1.08 billion in 2025—all without clear feasibility studies.
The result? “Ghost projects.”
In Calumpit, Bulacan, a dike project was inspected and found to have deviated from specifications. DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan himself admitted that ₱5.9 billion worth of projects under Wawao Builders Inc. were nonexistent.
Despite Bulacan receiving ₱70 billion in flood control allocations, the province remains submerged during typhoons. Ironically, many of Bulacan’s congressmen—most allies of Marcos—signed the impeachment complaint against Duterte.
POLITICAL DOUBLE STANDARD
Critics note the silence of lawmakers who loudly opposed Duterte’s ₱125-million confidential fund but have yet to raise alarms on the multibillion-peso flood control spending.
One example cited by Duterte’s supporters is Rep. Rodge Gutierrez of 1-Rider Partylist, who was active in questioning Duterte’s funds during congressional hearings. In 2024, however, ALRO Construction & Development Corp., where his father is incorporator and managing officer, received ₱1.576 billion in DPWH contracts. Gutierrez also sits on the House appropriations committee.
Observers say this conflict of interest partly explains why some of Duterte’s loudest critics have stayed silent on the far larger DPWH allocations.
₱125 MILLION VS ₱545 BILLION
For Duterte’s camp, the comparison is stark: ₱125 million, or just 0.023% of the ₱545.64 billion flood control budget, became grounds for political persecution, while the far larger and more irregular allocations in infrastructure remain largely unexamined.
“The real scandal is not ₱125 million. The real scandal is ₱545.64 billion stolen from the people,” one Duterte ally said.