SEN. Francis Pangilinan said he will withhold his approval of the proposed 2027 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) unless the agency presents a plan to address Pampanga’s persistent flooding.
Pangilinan made the threat after visiting Pampanga, his father’s home province, on Friday with Sen. Lito Lapid to find out firsthand the situation and hear the concerns of residents affected by weeks of flooding.
The two senators also helped distribute relief packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to flood victims.
Pangilinan and Lapid vowed to push for the inclusion of a well-funded master plan specifically addressing Pampanga’s flood problems.
In a statement, Pangilinan said the upcoming Senate budget hearings would give lawmakers a chance to demand answers from the DPWH regarding its flood control plans and proposed spending for Pampanga.
“But we know what the more important solution to the flooding problem is. That’s why there will be a budget hearing in the Senate next week, and the DPWH will appear before us,” Pangilinan said.
“We will ask the DPWH to present its plan, and we will push for additional funding. If they cannot answer our questions — what are we going to do for Pampanga, what flood-control projects do you have, and how much budget will you allocate? — and we are not satisfied with their answers, we will not approve their budget,” he said.
Pangilinan said the province has been dealing with floods for the last 36 days.
He and Lapid visited the towns of Santo Tomas and San Luis.
Pangilinan said the Senate’s scrutiny of agency budgets in the coming weeks should also be used to demand greater transparency and accountability in flood control spending, particularly amid concerns over substandard and so-called ghost projects.
Sen. JV Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, has said the DPWH should base its budget requests on a national flood control “masterplan.”
Ejercito said that the P7.2-trillion 2027 national budget will not include funding for new flood control projects, adding that the government will prioritize completing unfinished projects and addressing existing gaps.
“No new projects; complete all the uncompleted projects and close the gaps,” Ejercito said during an earlier interview.
The DPWH is seeking P83.84 billion for locally funded flood control projects and P19.6 billion for foreign-assisted flood mitigation programs under the 2027 National Expenditure Program.
The proposed spending plan also allocates P3.4 billion for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority’s (MMDA) flood control programs.
The DPWH has stepped up repair and rehabilitation work on key roads and flood-control infrastructure in Luzon.
In Limay, Bataan, the DPWH corrected the placement of barriers along a portion of the highway that had drawn attention after motorists complained that the uneven and widely spaced barriers had turned the work zone into an “obstacle course.”
The DPWH said the move was in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that roads undergoing construction or rehabilitation remain safe for the public.
In Camarines Sur, the agency has begun temporary repair on several portions of the Andaya Highway in Barangay Cabutagan, Colacling and Tapi in Lupi.
The repair is intended to keep traffic moving safely as the province prepares for the 2026 Peñafrancia Festival this September, when thousands of devotees and visitors are expected to travel through the region.
In Minalin, Pampanga, the DPWH has deployed heavy equipment at damaged portions of the Bacolor-Sto. Tomas-Minalin Tail Dike.
The tail dike is a critical flood-control structure protecting areas in Pampanga.
