Mayor Joy Belmonte on Monday, Sept. 15, said a total of 331 flood control projects worth P17 billion with multiple issues were uncovered following the local government’s review of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) flood control projects in the city.

The 331 flood control projects were from 2022 to 2025.

Belmonte said the review, which included meetings with barangay captains, consultations with DPWH officials, and inspections by city engineers, exposed multiple issues on the flood control projects.

The city mayor said the projects ballooned from 254 initially identified to 331 after validation, but only two were approved by the LGU.

“Una, lumobo pa sa 331 ang DPWH flood control projects sa aming lungsod mula 2022 hanggang 2025. At dalawa lang — uulitin ko, dalawa lang — ang pinayagan ng lokal na pamahalaan (First, the DPWH flood control projects in our city have ballooned to 331 from 2022 to 2025. And only two — I repeat, only two — were approved by the local government),” she said in a press conference.

Belmonte said that the P17 billion allocation could have been used to resolve the city’s most urgent needs.

“Malayo na sana ang inabot ng halagang iyan. Nalutas na sana natin ang classroom shortage sa lungsod na 5,300 at magkakasurplus pa. Aabot na sana sa 350 PhilHealth Accredited Centers ang naitayo kung ito ay nagamit para dyan. Kung naging pabahay naman ito, katumbas na sana ito ng 14,167 housing units para sa aming informal sector families (That amount would have gone a long way. We would have solved the classroom shortage in the city of 5,300 and even had a surplus. Up to 350 PhilHealth Accredited Centers would have been built if it had been used for that. If it had been used for housing, it would have been equivalent to 14,167 housing units for our informal sector families),” she said.

Belmonte emphasized that P14 billion of the P17 billion was contrary to Quezon City’s science-based drainage master plan.

“14 billion pesos sa 17 billion pesos na ginastos sa mga flood control projects na ito ay hindi naaayon sa ating — or I could even say taliwas sa ating — drainage master plan (14 billion pesos out of the 17 billion pesos spent on these flood control projects are not in line with our — or I could even say contrary to our — drainage master plan),” she said.

The review also revealed troubling anomalies in documentation and execution, among these were incomplete documents, as only scopes of work were submitted without full programs of work detailing materials, timelines, and cost breakdowns.

Some projects had mismatched or missing coordinates, making them difficult or impossible to track, while several carried the exact same contract price of P14,259,000 despite differences in design and location.

“Halimbawa, ang flood control project sa Barangay Santa Monica, Barangay Pasong Tamo at drainage improvement sa ibang lugar ay eksaktong P14,259,000 ang halaga bawat isa. Iba-ibang lugar at iba-ibang project design pero parehong-pareho ang halaga ng bidding price o kontrata down to the very last centavo. Tila ba nagkopyahan ang mga contractors (For example, the flood control project in Barangay Santa Monica, Barangay Pasong Tamo and drainage improvement in other areas cost exactly P14,259,000 each. Different areas and different project designs but the bidding price or contract value is the same down to the very last centavo. It seems the contractors copied),” she said.

Other discrepancies included projects marked as “completed” but still under construction upon inspection, as well as 91 out of 117 drainage improvements being built in areas not prone to flooding. In one extreme case, a single project — the Rehabilitation of Flood Mitigation Structure along San Juan River — was divided into an excessive 92 phases.

“May mga proyekto na mali ang lokasyon kung ikukumpara ang project title sa coordinates ng project location. Ang masaklap, may mga wala talagang coordinates kaya hindi namin makita kahit anong hanap namin sa mga project na ito,” Mayor Belmonte said.

Belmonte said seven of the top 15 contractors flagged earlier by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. were also found operating in the city.

“Pinakamarami ang 888 Construction and Supply Inc. na may anim na proyekto. At ang ilang proyekto nila, gaya ng flood control structure along Pasong Tamo Creek, ini-report na complete pero di namin mahagilap (888 Construction and Supply Inc. has the most projects with six. And some of their projects, such as the flood control structure along Pasong Tamo Creek, are reported to be complete but we cannot find them),” she said.

The mayor described the findings as deeply frustrating, saying the massive funds could have directly improved the lives of thousands of Quezon City residents.

“Isipin ninyo na lang, ang dami na sanang napagandang buhay, mga kabataang nagkaroon ng mas magandang kinabukasan, o mga may sakit na napagamot kung nagamit ng maayos ang pondong yan (Just think, how many lives could have been improved, young people could have had a better future, or sick people could have been treated if that fund had been used properly),” Belmonte said.

“Yan ang nakakagalit at nakakasama ng loob. Kaya normal lang siguro na mag-alab ang ating mga damdamin (That's what makes us angry and hurt. So maybe it's normal for our emotions to flare up),” she added.

Belmonte assured the public that the Quezon City government will continue pressing for accountability and ensure that all future infrastructure projects will be aligned with the city’s master plan.