A senator is questioning the whereabouts of the PHP 61 billion budget allocated for Bicol’s flood control following severe flooding in the region.
Senator Joel Villanueva noted that PHP 61 billion was set aside for flood control in Bicol for 2023 and 2024, yet Tropical Storm Kristine struck with seemingly little resistance from recent upgrades.
Villanueva also highlighted social media posts suggesting that Bicol may have only received PHP 9 billion for flood control efforts.
“Hindi po totoo yun kasi in 2023 sa DPWH alone P29.4 billion ang budget [for Bicol]. This year for Bicol region ang budget for flood control ng DPWH ay 31.9 billion, so 2023 and 2024 meron kang P61.42 billion na budget for flood control in Bicol region,” Villanueva said.
He also hoped to investigate it during the budget deliberations for the concerned agencies. “So ito dapat tingnan nating mabuti sa budget deliberation, kung saan talaga napupunta ito, may impact ba talaga itong ginagawang flood control projects and programs ng ating pamahalaan,” he said.
However, some government officials said that there are no billions allocated for Bicol’s flood control budget. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co said: “There’s no truth to the alleged billion-peso appropriations for Bicol flood control.”
“In fact, the region’s funding for national roads and flood control is among the smallest in the country,” Co clarified.
Meanwhile, Senate President Chiz Escudero also has the same sentiments, asking for accountability from government agencies.
“We begin budget deliberations when we resume on Nov 4. I expect that this will be brought up during the budget deliberations of DPWH, DENR, DILG, DSWD, DND/OCD,” Escudero said.
“Moving forward, however, we will not only exact accountability but also make sure the 2025 budget will provide preventive measures to avoid a recurrence as well as adequate rehabilitation and response in case of a similar calamity in the future,” he added.
