ILOILO City – This city’s fight against flooding is set to take a major setback next year.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the removal of all new flood control allocations from the 2026 proposed national budget, effectively freezing P800 million worth of projects for the city.
The President’s directive realigned more than P255.5 billion in flood control funds under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), halting flood mitigation efforts across the country, according to Iloilo City Lone District’s Cong. Julienne Baronda.
“All flood control projects have been put on hold, except for comprehensive drainage systems that already have funding from DPWH,” Baronda said. “That means there will be no new flood control projects for Iloilo City next year.”
Among the affected initiatives are drainage projects meant to serve the SMDC Condominium, Uswag Condominium, and People’s Residences — developments criticized for lacking adequate drainage systems.
“This has a big impact,” Baronda lamented. “The P100 million fund that was supposed to address the drainage problems of SMDC and Uswag Condominium, and connect them to the Locsin Subdivision in Jaro for the outfall, can no longer proceed because the budget was deleted.”
She also revealed that the ongoing flood control project in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro — personally inspected by President Marcos just this August — will be delayed.
The project, which involves a 10-kilometer-long creek system, needs an additional P300 million to be completed.
“This project is local in nature and cannot be supported by foreign funding, so we are looking for other sources to continue it,” she said.
Despite the cuts, Baronda vowed to continue lobbying for funds to protect the city from recurring floods.
We cannot stop our efforts, because flood control is essential to public safety and sustainable development,” she said./PN
