ILOILO City – Former Ilonggo Senate president Franklin Drilon shared the public’s doubts on whether Congress can credibly investigate the government’s P590 billion flood control projects, saying independent agencies should take the lead instead.
“The Commission on Audit (COA) and the Ombudsman should take the lead,” Drilon said in Filipino during a radio station on DzBB on Sunday. “The COA’s function is to exact accountability, while the Ombudsman is the agency that files anti-graft cases.”
“Sa akin, without casting aspersion, ang hirap niyan hindi paniniwalaan ng taumbayan ang resulta ng kanilang imbestigasyon. Dahil sila-sila rin, ‘di ba? Kahit anong sabihin mo ‘yung congressmen at mga senador sa public perception, sila ang naglalagay ng insertion, eh sila rin ang mag-iimbestiga?” Drilon said.
Drilon stressed that the credibility of any congressional inquiry would be undermined by perceptions that lawmakers themselves are responsible for project insertions in the national budget.
“Kaya sa akin, COA, Ombudsman ang mag-iimbestiga in so far as exacting accountability is concerned kung talagang may pagkukulang. At for reforms, ‘yang NEDA (National Economic and Development Authority) at sa DBM (Department of Budget and Management) ang dapat mangunguna,” the former lawmaker stressed.
Flood control has emerged as one of the fastest-growing items in the national budget. The allocation stands at P346.6 billion under the 2025 General Appropriations Act and P224.8 billion in 2024. That totals roughly P590 billion over just two years.
Under the recently-submitted 2026 National Expenditures Program, the allocation for flood control project is P275 billion, he noted.
By comparison, the allocation for flood control projects in 2016 — the last year of the Aquino administration — was P64.2 billion, according to Drilon, who was previously chaired the Senate Committee on Finance.
“The current budget is about five times higher than that figure,” he noted.
In addition, Drilon was also baffled how contractors with as little as P250,000 in declared capital were able to secure flood control projects worth billions of pesos.
He likened the scheme to the controversial Pharmally Pharmaceutical deal during the Duterte administration, where a small company bagged contracts worth hundreds of billions for COVID-19 supplies. It was Drilon who unearthed the anomalous transaction during Senate hearings, leading to the filing of cases against government officials and company executives.
As another safeguard, Drilon called for the abolition of district engineers in the Department of Public Works and Highways, saying their functions only duplicate those of regional directors.
“Nag-duplicate lang yan sa trabaho ng regional director. Sa katunayan, hindi pinapansin ng district engineer ang regional director. Ang usual excuse, pera ito ni congressman, pera ito ni senator. Ibig sabihin, hindi na dapat pakialaman,” he said./PN
