MANILA, Philippines — Deputy Speaker Janette Garin on Monday called for the restoration of funding for flood control projects, but only in validated high-risk areas and under strict safeguards to prevent abuse.
The lawmaker’s remarks were in reaction to the floods brought by incessant monsoon rains that have been battering Metro Manila and several provinces. She said flood mitigation measures must not be “demonized” but also reiterated that only flood-control and shoreline-protection projects should be restored in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
Next year’s spending plan is expected to be transmitted to Congress for deliberation in the coming days following controversies over allegedly anomalous and substandard flood-control projects.
“Flood control projects were demonized,” Garin said in Filipino, stressing that vulnerable communities still need protection from flooding, high tides and overflowing rivers.
“With the proper alignment—specifically in the so-called ‘red areas’—it is absolutely essential. And with the proper watchdogs, it really needs to be brought back,” she added.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., after exposing anomalies linked to billions worth of flood control projects in July 2025, ordered the scrapping of allocations for locally funded flood control projects in the 2026 national budget.
Last June, Malacañang announced that previously halted flood control projects may still be included in the proposed 2027 NEP, pending validation and their actual need for completion.
